Loving Anyway....

Do you ever find yourself saying you love your husband because of all the things he does for you, the effort he makes, the thoughtfulness he shows, the affection he gives....whatever the case may be? Or, do you say, I love my kids because......and then list something they've done or a great attribute about them? Even our kids are asked what they love about Mommy or Daddy (at some point in their lives). I recently read an article about loving ANYWAY! Loving our kids ANYWAY...even though there are days they drive me nuts, they disobey, they talk back, they disrespect. Loving my husband ANYWAY...despite the fact that he never remembers anything I tell him...well, rarely remembers... Loving ANYWAY....hmmmm...that can be tough. It's tough to love our neighbor as ourselves. It's tough to love the unloving. And, when I am striving to love my neighbor as myself or the unloving...exactly how do I go about that? What kinds of things should I be doing? Love is the greatest of God's commands....it's the command that He puts at the top of the list and therefore, He requires us to do the same. If we would just love ANYWAY...love our unfriendly, secluded (or "private") neighbor, love our fair-weather friends, love the unloving!! I often ask Jim what really makes me "different" as a follower of Jesus....do my actions follow my words? Do I "walk" what I "talk"? I think that loving ANYWAY is the mark of one that follows Him.