Thicker Than WaterSample

Loving someone deeply is a struggle. In the media ‘true love’ is portrayed as something that is full of happiness and never causes any problems or pain. However, this idea of love is so inaccurate. Truly, deeply loving someone is hard work in itself, but loving someone who has wronged you in that same way is an even harder task! Real love does cause lots of happiness, but it also can cause lots of pain. Loving people who aren’t nice to you can be quite draining.

Peter tells us that when we love someone truly and deeply, many sins will be erased! This means that, by the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can forgive and love people who we thought were our enemies. Loving the way Peter talks about doesn’t come easy, but we can feel safe knowing that, God helps us live out this kind of love. God will give us the strength and courage to love people the way Peter describes in today’s verse!

Let’s be people who choose to love one another like Peter describes.Ask God to give you an idea of how you can love that person and find the courage to forgive them. Just remember that loving someone like this doesn’t mean you allow someone to hurt you, themselves, or others. If that’s what’s going on, take the step of talking to a trusted adult today!

Today, I encourage you to say a prayer and ask God to help you love someone who gets on your nerves or is mean to you.

Written by Hannah, age 17, from Highland Village, Texas, USA