There's a phrase from my Army days that moved to business, where it became one of those buzz-words that can get old. I still like it, though, because unlike most buzz phrases, it communicates an idea that's hard to capture otherwise. The phrase is, "Show them what right looks like." In other words, behave rightly, be the good you want to see.
Of course, as a Christ-follower I've been looking to Jesus to see what right looks like for a long time now. And with this topic of love and hate, as with everything else, He doesn't disappoint. 1 John 3:16-17: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
That's what love looks like. Self-sacrifice. Generosity. Service. Action, not words.
What does my love look like? Not always like that. Sometimes it's pretty stingy. Sometimes it's generously giving of my cast-offs, and the dregs of my time. But sometimes I get it right. Sometimes other people get the very best I can give them, and all of it too.
That happens often enough to give me hope, and more and more all the time. But it would never happen at all if I couldn't look at Jesus and see what right looks like.
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