Love Even When Others Don't Love

Matthew 5:46

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?

Let's say you're in line at the store, ready to check out. You get to the cashier and she doesn't say anything to you, or even look at you. She starts stuffing your things into the plastic bags and you say, "Hello, how are you?" She snaps, "Horrible!" She doesn't even give you the correct change, and you tell her about it. She goes crazy on you. What do you do?

That was something that happened to a pastor, and he was saying how he could have gotten upset and yelled at her too, but he calmly asked if he could pray for her, and she smiled, and told him that it would nice of him. And she said how she has a daughter in the hospital and they don't know if she is going to get well.

That was a great example of self-control and love. If he had yelled at her, she might have done something crazy and quit her job and left her family in even more dispair. But in this act of love, he got to show God's glory to a woman who had hit the bottom, and she had gotten a ray of hope from a kind stranger that cared for her even when she was mean to him.

Everyone has someone in their life at some point, who does something not so nice to them. Someone might cut you off when you're driving, or say something rude about what you're wearing, or just seem to be ignoring you or is in a grumpy mood, grunting every word they say.
Instead of returning anger with anger, surprise them and be nice to them even though they're being mean to you. This will soften their hearts. Why would you want to make them even more mad? You would only seek revenge or the last mean word to boost your own ego, but in the end you'll just feel angry, and later guilty. And no one is helped.

Don't carry someone else's attitude with you the whole day. If someone did something mean or rude to you, don't let that poison you. Let go of it and move on if they don't want your help. Happiness is a choice. Focus your thoughts on God and His goodness, and you will have peace.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Don't seek revenge, because if it really was that horrible, God will justify you in the end. Leave everything up to God, and let him do the judging. All you have to do is love. That is the sole purpose God made you for.