"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." --John 13:35
Before he became the prime minister of Japan, the late Shigeru Yoshida served as an ambassador to England.
One day, he learned that a particularly annoying cabinet minister had come to London. Yoshida decided avoidance was the best policy, so he told his staff to tell the cabinet member that he was not available when he called.
Undaunted, the persistent minister kept calling. The minister finally decided to visit the embassy in person, and a polite man standing on the staircase said, unfortunately, he'd missed the ambassador again.
The cabinet member turned to leave, then turned back around in stunned recognition. He demanded, "Aren't you the Ambassador Yoshida?"
Yoshida reluctantly admitted he was, and then added, "And, sir, when you hear from Yoshida himself that Yoshida is out, you can believe it!"
More than likely, there's someone in your life you probably try to avoid. Maybe it's your nosy neighbor, the gossip at church, or the bitter man in the grocery aisle. And while your reluctance to mingle with these kinds of people can often be understood, I challenge you to try a new approach.
Instead of avoiding them, do something nice for the person who is a little hard to love. Perhaps something as simple as saying a kind word or doing something nice for them.
Jesus encouraged us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and that means the annoying, overbearing ones too! You may be amazed how showing kindness and compassion to someone will change you view of them.
PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for His love and ask Him to help you love your neighbor as yourself.
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