As a grandparent, I can say there is nothing quite like adoring young voices excited to greet their “Gamma” and “Gampa.” It is the definition of heartwarming. We melt with the warmth of the love that we feel for those most near and dear to us.
Jesus describes love in the Sermon on the Mount quite differently. Rather than warm fuzzies, Jesus speaks of love as the difficult decision to care for the well-being of those who might prefer to destroy you. Jesus urges intentional love for those who are radically different from you.
When he asks what reward you have for loving those who love you, it is obvious that there is an immediate reward of exchanging love in the close-knit circle of family and friends. But the reward he talks about is more spiritual or heavenly. This love for enemies he labels as perfect—just like our heavenly Father. We are urged to strive for this kind of perfection in our love for the world.
I am a long way from perfect, but I have an inkling of what direction I need to move to become closer to it.
God, help me to grow in love for those who do not love in return. Amen. —