Listen

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born from God. Whoever loves someone who is a parent loves the child born to the parent. This is how we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep God’s commandments. This is the love of God: we keep God’s commandments.

1 John 5:1-3a

Think

Do you know anyone who is a grandparent? Many grandparents are just crazy about their grandkids! They brag about their soccer skills or musical abilities, show you their photos, and can’t wait to spend time with them.

Maybe your grandparents are – or were – like that: they love you with a crazy love.

The crazy love of those grandparents reminds us of the way we should love one another. Grandparents love their grandchildren, in part, because they love the children’s parents. So we too should love the children of the parent we love: God.

There are a lot of people out there: the new person in town and our oldest friend, our teachers and classmates and co-workers, and even the homeless person on the street. It’s not always easy to love all those people – they can frustrate us, make us mad, or even scare us. That’s why it’s important to remember that they are all children of God – just like us! Because we love God, we love them too.

Jane Claspy Nesmith

Pray

Loving God, the parent of everyone I meet, help me remember to love all of your children with a crazy love. Remind me that those children of yours are my brothers and sisters, too, and help me serve them as I would serve you. Amen.

Go

Wrapped in the peace of God

and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit,

take the love of Jesus with you

wherever you go today

and everyday.