Q:
I know God wants us to love everyone, even people that aren't very lovable. But I just can't bring myself to love some of the people I have to deal with at work, no matter how hard I try. In fact, I've just stopped trying. Am I wrong?
A:
It’s true; some people are simply hard to get along with, and no matter how hard we try, they’ll probably never become our friends. Some people, in fact, even take delight in stirring up trouble and dissension. The Bible says, “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28).
But does this mean you can’t love them? No, it doesn’t—not if you understand what the Bible says about love. You see, to love someone is to want what is best for them. In other words, love isn’t just an emotion or a feeling; loving someone means that we care what happens to them, and we want it to be something good. This is the kind of love God has for us—and it’s the kind of love He wants us to have for others.
Admittedly you may not like some of the people you work with; something about them makes it difficult to like them as a friend. But you can love them—that is, you can be concerned about them, and pray for them, and ask God to bless them (and even change them).
Don’t ignore those God has put across your path, but ask Him to help you begin to see them the way He sees them. He loves them and wants what is best for them—and so should you. The Bible says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16).