How To Love Difficult People

Are you struggling to love a rather unlovable person in your life right now? Chances are, after reading that last sentence, you had a few faces pop into your head, probably attached to some frustrating circumstances. Boy, did Moses ever have some frustrating people to love and lead through the desert! Numbers 11 tells us that after fighting to free his people from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites started complaining to Moses about what they were going to eat and drink, and they even reminisced about the good ol’ days when they were back in Egypt. Talk about a difficult crowd!

The good news is, if Moses managed to show grace to the thorns in his flesh, we too, have the ability to love the prickly people in our lives. Here are a few practical ways to squeeze out some extra love for those who could probably use it the most:

1. Pray for your own heart

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:12-13

I know what you’re probably thinking, by “pray for my own heart” you surely must mean that I should pray for them and their heart, right? Yes and no. Yes, it is always a good idea to cover every situation in prayer, and chances are this unlovable person in your life has some issues in their life that could use some divine intervention; but I meant what I said. Pray for your own heart. You are the one who is painfully aware of your shortcomings in regards to love, so you are the one who needs extra patience, guidance, and an attitude adjustment. Trust me, you’ll need it for our next step…