Jesus didn’t ask me to focus on loving the ‘EASY’ people.

The people in my own circles.

The ones in my church who pray using the same words I do.

The ones on my own street or at my kids’ school down the block.

The ones who think like me or talk like me or come from similar backgrounds.

The ones with the same beliefs.

The ones who seem comfortable.

The ‘safe’ people.

And I’m not sure sending money to support some cause or nodding my head at just the right times or reading a few books or silently agreeing things need to change but remaining quietly complicit is going to be enough.

Not enough for Jesus.

He was pretty specific about how to love others, actually.

In John 21 He said…

‘Feed my lambs.’

‘Take care of my sheep.’

‘Feed my sheep.’

And in Matthew 25 He said…

‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then He went on to explain His ‘brothers’ include the hungry and thirsty, the homeless and needy, the sick and imprisoned.

So, I’m guessing when He told me to love people…He meant ALLLLLLLLL the people.

Even the ones who look differently than I do.

The ones who believe differently or pray differently or talk differently than I do.

The ones with different cultural traditions.

You know, I think He even meant the ones who make me feel unsafe sometimes.

The ones who break the law or hurt other people.

The ones who spit in my face or chide my beliefs or belittle and hate me.

The hurting and broken and marginalized.

The people our world might deem ‘outcasts.’

Jesus commanded me to love ALL the people.

Even especially the people who might seem HARD to love.

Because when I do for others…I do for Jesus.

And when He asks me one day, ‘Do you love me?’

I want to be sure He already KNOWS my answer by the way I lived my life.