I have come to accept the fact that there are some people in the world who you simply won’t get along with. Whether it’s incompatible personalities, lack of chemistry or you just find the other person annoying, it is impossible to become friends with everyone; however, it is possible, with God’s grace, patience and empathy, to love someone who you dislike. Here are a few things that can help you love those who irritate and frustrate you. Perhaps, after you trying loving your “enemy,” you will slowly begin to genuinely like them, or at least appreciate their existence.
Remember that Jesus died for and loves everyone.
In a Christian environment like Regent University, it can be easy to take Jesus for granted, but we should never forget the weight of his love and sacrifice. When Jesus died on the cross for us, he sacrificed himself for the salvation of every single created soul. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus came for the saints, sinners, bullies, weirdos, nerds, depressed, troublemakers, thieves, and every other type of person imaginable. Jesus paid the ultimate price so that we could abide in His love and share that love with others. It might be difficult to get along with certain people, even fellow Christians, but it is important to try to love those who making loving difficult. If Jesus could love the worst kinds of people, we can certainly love that annoying kid in class who just won’t stop talking about irrelevant things.
They’re human too.
It can be hard to remember that everyone is a person. Sometimes, we become so caught up on how irritating and horrible a person is to us; we forget their humanity. We forget that they too have feelings. They have a story. They’ve experienced pain just like the rest of us. They feel emotions that we have all felt. They have cried, laughed, and screamed. They’re humans too, and being human is hard; I don’t think we need to make it any more difficult by being mean back. We must love them instead. We must remind them of what it truly means to be human. To be human is to have the ability to love when one’s instincts say to flee or fight. So the next time you see your “nemesis,” look them in the eye and try to see the person behind the distasteful qualities.
Finally, if you truly cannot stand this person, remember that your connection with them is probably only for a season. Whether they are an obnoxious classmate or a coworker, you will eventually move on in life and probably only see their Facebook posts pop up every now and then. Nothing in this life is permanent, and God may have put this person in your life for a season to teach you what patience and true love look like. So just clench your teeth, pray, and continue to love this person; maybe one day, you will understand why they were put into your life.
Relationships are complicated, and not everyone is meant to be friends; however, the root of every single relationship should be love. We are all humans who need love. Whether we like each other or loathe one another, we must love the person because He first loved us.