Have you ever heard that saying, "Nothing in life is free?" It came to mind when someone was asking for a handout earlier. Not from me particularly, but on facebook. And this isn't the first time they've done it. They are always asking people to give them stuff. It kind of irritates me. I wanted to ask him why he didn't get out and get a job so he could earn the money to buy it himself. But I refrained from asking that. Yeah, I had to do a major "bite your tongue." Anyway, as I thought about the statement, "Nothing in life is free" I found myself thinking, "ahh...but love is free." In some instances people may have conditional love, but the love that Christ offers is always unconditional. There are no strings attached. And as imitators of Christ, our love should be unconditional as well. Sometimes that can be difficult. I think part of the problem is that we think to love without condition means that we have to condone bad behavior or believe the same as another person. And that's not true. God sent his son, Jesus to die on a cross for us. He didn't wait until we were perfect. He didn't say he would only love us if we did exactly as He said. He offered us a plan of salvation, a Savior. And yes, He doesn't want any of us to perish. But we are given the choice. If we reject Him, does this invalidate His love for us? No. Nothing can separate us from God's love. Now some may think that this only applies to His children. But you know, we are told to love our enemies. And isn't that exactly what Christ did? And isn't that what He continues to do?

Okay, so I know it's a hard pill to swallow sometimes. We don't want to love those who are unlovely. We don't like how they act. But have you ever thought that perhaps they may be the very ones who need love the most? When my son was in kindergarten I would have to go sit in the class with the students while their teacher took a lunch break (private school). There was this one boy who would always misbehave. One day when his parents were picking him up I heard them talking to him and I was totally shocked. I could understand why he acted like he did. From that moment on I chose to shower this child with love. He was like a new child after a little while. He was always trying to help me, to do things to please me. A little love went a long way. It was a great lesson.

I still have to remind myself to extend love when people are behaving badly. After all, I may need them to show me a little love and mercy when I miss the mark and act in a manner not consistent with my Christian beliefs.