I Love Them, But I Don't Have To Like Them

Christianity is in some ways unique to other religions. Not offering resistance to evil people and in fact turning to them the other cheek after they have slapped you is one. Another is that if someone forces you to walk a mile walk another with them voluntarily. If these were not hard enough, you have to love everyone, even your enemies. In fact, if you harbor hatred for anyone, by default you are not a Christian.

We all know people who do little more than take up space on the surface of the planet. They do not lend anything to the common good. In fact, they are like a sponge tapping into the strength and vitality of everyone around them. They have skills that include sucking the life out of a room in less that 10 seconds. They limit the generosity of others by expecting that contributions to sustain them be of the highest quality and voluminous quantity. Their favorite subject matter for discussion seems always to be about who they can do for the most with the least effort. When someone else is buying they order the most expensive thing on the menu. You know the type.

Jesus had personal preferences in His circle of friends and relatives. The apostle John was His favorite. Judas, not so much. Peter denied that he even knew Him and once Jesus scolded Peter for tempting Him.

Jesus by what He did and said gave us an example to live by. It is a very high standard and every Christian fails every single day to meet it, but the focus is on improving a little bit every day. And by His example, when I encounter people who fit well into the criteria I mentioned above, I will love them, I will risk my life to save them if necessary, but I don't have to like them. I also do not have to be a doormat that they wipe their feet on.