Motivate Me Monday- When It's Hard to Love

A friend and I had talked about this over the phone a few weeks ago, about loving people and how hard it can be sometimes, so in honor of that friend and some recent experiences I've had, I hope this makes you giggle.:)

This is for all the people in Walmart or Price Cutter who jump out into the middle of the aisle as I'm walking down through, trying desperately to get my shopping done with a toddler who's shouting, "Home!  Home!" and a 7 year old who can't leave the toddler alone.  This is for all the people in Walmart who find it fun to stand right in front of me or right in the middle of the aisle, never moving, never saying, "Excuse me," as they walk slowly in front of me, while I'm trying to decide which type of crackers are healthier.  This is for all the people in Walmart who decided to meet up with friends and have a party while some of us were trying to get our shopping done, all the while having to maneuver around you all while you visited together, smack dab in the middle of what seemed like several aisles; were you following me?  This is for all the people who think because they are on a motorized cart, they have the complete right of way no matter what (no, this is not a slam, just an annoyance to me for the simple fact that they seem to sometimes be very pushy).

  

I'm trying very hard to love you all....I am; I know that loving my neighbors is the greatest commandment, so I am desperately trying to love you, even though sometimes you make it so hard.

This is for all those pushy, road-raging drivers out there on the road these days.  This is for the semi-truck last night, who even though I was going over the speed limit, thought it would be fun to come up behind me (in the sleety weather, I might add) and flash his brights at me, indicating that I needed to go faster or move over.  (Sorry about shining my brights at you over and over as you went around me; I was having a hard time loving you at the moment; I wasn't feeling very Christian-like at that moment in time.)  This is for all the people who talk on their cell phones instead of actually paying attention to what is going on in the road.  This is for the person, who literally, the other day held down his horn for probably 5 minutes as he followed another car (had to be road rage).  This is for all of the people who think that coming onto the highway via an entry ramp means they should enter at 20mph, slowly wedging in to 70mph traffic.  This is for you, Mister (you know who you are), who looked right at me as you slid right into the parking spot I was taking at the grocery store, just slid in right in front of me....

I'm trying very hard to love you too....I am; Jesus wanted me to love my neighbors, and you are my neighbors.  

Loving others can be so hard, can't it?  I think that sometimes we think love has to be a feeling, but actually, love is a choice.  We can choose to curse our fellow shoppers and drivers (which is what we feel like doing), or we can choose to love them (which is the farthest thing from our minds probably).  The choice is ours....and I know it's tough.  I think I've failed at this more often than not, but I think one thing that can help us to make the right choice is to have a mind set towards eternity.  Is it really going to matter that he jumped in front of me in 10 years?  Is it really going to matter that someone at the store was rude to us?  Yeah, it bothers us, but where is that person headed for eternity?  And what matters most, in light of eternity?  Should I be getting angry over this small stuff, or should I let it go and focus on the big picture?  Oh, and even more, what effect do my reactions have on my children?  Ouch!  Just some thoughts to ponder....:)

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.