Love is a Command by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:11).

Have you ever felt like your love tank is empty? Perhaps a variety of circumstances—betrayal, rejection, or disappointment—has depleted your supply of love. When this happens, you must go to your Heavenly Father for refueling.
For Christians, loving others is not a suggestion. It is a command. John 13:34–35 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Romans 12:10 states, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

There are always people who are like sweet puppies who love everyone unconditionally, but then there may be those of us who struggle to trust people, especially when they don’t meet our expectations, or they hurt us. For those who find it more difficult to open ourselves up to love, how do we overcome an offense? How do we avoid an over-reaction by distancing from that person, so we do not take another hit? The following are some ideas:
- Pray to see that person from God’s eyes.
- Choose to forgive them immediately because God also calls us to forgive one another as he forgives us.
- Ask God to show you if you have triggered this behavior.
- Ask the Lord for the capacity to love them again. Philippians 4:19 says God will meet all your needs.
- Take time to process before you speak to the offending person. It will take the emotion out.

Because of childhood wounds and programming, there may be bigger hurdles to overcome in order to love as God calls us to love. However, with the Lord’s strength, we can all be vessels of God’s love so that people in our circles will know that we will always love them without judgement. When we love, we honor God’s commandment to love.
Your insights never cease to amaze me!!