Love One Another

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

It is a lot easier to show love when you have been given love. Unfortunately, not everyone has had this experience in their life. There are babies that have never been held, never been sang to or rocked to sleep in the warmth of someone’s arms. Some children grow up never knowing the feeling of a hug or a snuggle. When you grow up without getting love or affection, how do you learn to give it?

I feel so blessed to have had a family that showed me so much love every day. Hugs are wonderful things; I love getting a hug and I love giving a hug. You do need to be careful though because it turns out that not everyone is a hugger, which can lead to embarrassing moments. But having been shown love as a child definitely made it easier to show love in return.

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

As adults we still have the tendency, on occasion, to treat people in the same way they treat us. If someone is nice to us, we will be nice to them and if someone snaps at us, we might snap back in return. When someone does something that hurts or annoys us we have the potential to revert back to a tit-for-tat mentality. This is why the love that we show others should never come from what they have shown us, but from the love we received from God.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

Whether easy or difficult, the love we give should always be a reflection of the Father’s love for us.