PODCAST
Loving My Christian Colleague
April 9th, 2013
John 15:9-25
I found it easy to love the drunken man who jerked me out of chapel, ripping the seam of my sleeve, and demanding me to find his lost cell phone. He was the unlovable, undeserving sinner for whom Christ died.
What I found difficult, however, was to love my Christian colleague who often berated leaders, had a quick temper, and often was irritable to those around him. Dealing with him called for more patience, more understanding, and more forgiveness than I was prepared to give.
Jesus tells his disciples to love each other. These are the disciples who argued among themselves as to who was the greatest and who would sit next to Jesus when he came to his kingdom. These are the disciples who refused to acknowledge that their friends had dirty feet and did not even assist Jesus in washing them.
It seems easier to love those we won’t see again than those we must live and work with daily. It seems easier to love the homeless and offer them food and clothing than to love our Christian friends and accept their leadership styles and peculiarities. Yet Jesus says to us, his disciples, to love each other.
Author: Geneva Silvernail
