When my oldest sister, Alisa, was young, she used to convince my other sister, Abby, that unmatched socks were poor orphans without mothers. As a game to get Abby to fold socks, she told her she must find a match for the poor orphans--after all, what fate is bestowed upon an abandoned old sock but a life exiled away forever in a shiny trashcan? Abby vigilantly looked for matching socks, getting very upset whenever an orphan was found.
In life, we get paired with people we don't always enjoy the company of. Sometimes, in fact, we'd rather spend our day doing anything but being with that person. Maybe the person is pushy, maybe the person is rude and just plain mean, or maybe we really don't get along with the person, no matter how hard we try. The solution to getting along with the person? Love them anyways. They're not perfect, they are far from perfect. But keep in mind that you're far from perfect as well. If you're having trouble getting along with them, chances are they're having trouble getting along with you as well. If you're praying for their heart to soften, pray also that your heart would soften and God would show you what you need to change.
Mark 12:30-31 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”". If we're supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves, why aren't we doing it? God has paired you with that person for a reason, try to encourage them instead of silently noticing each flaw.
Kayla Joy
