John 13:34-35
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
There has been a phrase running through my head lately, “Love them where they are.” We, as Christians (and I’m talking about myself here too), are in a bad habit of only loving those that we perceive as being like us, or on our level. We have a tough time of loving those that we think are less lovable; Alcoholics, drug addicts, the mentally disabled, homeless, or poor. We say that we will love them when they are sober, on medication, have a home or when we don’t feel so uncomfortable around them. Our discomfort is OUR problem. We ALL have skeletons in our closets that we feel would make us unlovable. We are ALL imperfect. So, why does it cause us discomfort to love those who may be different than us? We all have sin in our lives. Is it fair of us to sit in judgement of another human being who may simply want to be loved? Is it fair of us to withhold love from one of God’s children, because he or she is not “worthy” in our eyes? We are to love one another. Period. No conditions. We are to love them where they are right now today, sin and all. Isn’t that the way God loves us? What if God decided that we weren’t “worthy” of His love? What if God decided we needed to be perfect in order for Him to love us? Fortunately, He won’t ever withhold His love from us. Jesus loved the Woman at the well in John 4, even though she had had 5 husbands and was living with a man that was not her husband. Jesus loved the woman in John 8 who had been caught in adultery. Jesus never judged anyone. Jesus was about building relationships with people where they were and encouraging them with love to be better. He encouraged them to want more for their lives than what they were living. Jesus was all about loving people where they were.
We are not in the position to love people when they are “fixed” or “living up to our standards.” We are in the position to love one another NOW. I am challenging you to reach out and love someone this week right where they are, without judgement, only with love. Open your heart and allow God to love others through you, right where they are now.
Patti Burris 
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