Loving when it hurts

We have a really cute miniature Schnauzer puppy named Samson. But poor Samson encountered a misfortune in the cuteness department this week. His fur had gotten really long and scraggly, so one of my daughters trimmed his beard and eyebrows a little. I thought she did a really good job, so I asked her to even it up just a wee bit more.

The next time I saw Samson, he had no beard or eyebrows left. 

I have to be honest. It hurt to look at him. He was ugly as sin! A Schnauzer without a beard or eyebrows is one dawg-ugly dog. And it was like he knew it because he hid under the piano for a long time afterwards. But ever since his little mishap, he's seemed sweeter to me. He comes up to me and puts his little paws on my legs and just looks at me, saying with his eyes, "Please love me anyway!".

Sweet little doggie. It's not his fault he's ugly. But even in his pitiful state, he just wants to be loved. Aren't we all that way? We just want others to love us, despite our ugliness. Despite the mistakes we've made. Despite the imperfect love we have to offer in return. 

It seems everywhere I turn, I see people who are unhappy with each other. I go to the grocery store and hear parents and children talking disrespectfully to each other. In Starbucks, I hear a husband berating his wife. Outside a restaurant, I hear a boyfriend calling his girlfriend ugly names. In my own life, I see people I love letting anger, pride, and unforgiveness come between them. I have dealt with relationship problems for much of my life, but these days, seeing others hurt from the same kind of pain just breaks my heart.

A while back I wrote a post on unforgiveness, which fostered some good discussion in other venues. Admittedly, I'm not very merciful by nature...but I wish I were, because God commands us to forgive. It seems people just want to blame each other. It seems they just sit around waiting for the other person to apologize. But I have learned the hard way that showing mercy has nothing to do with my offender, and everything to do with me.

What if the offender isn't sorry? What if their pride stands in the way of an apology? What if their anger is masking the truth and they can't even recognize their part in causing the strained relationship? Is there ever a good reason to deny someone mercy? 

That isn't the example Jesus set for us. He loves me no matter what I do--and I know I must be hard to love, for reasons that go far beyond a bad haircut.

I want to follow His example. I want to love others with the agape of God. He is the One True Example of what it means to love. He loves me when I'm ugly. He loves me when I make bad choices. He loves me when I hurt Him. He loves me when I'm blind to my own faults. He loves me even when I haven't yet realized all that I need to be sorry for. His love is real, steadfast, and unconditional. It's the kind of love I pray we open up our hearts to receive, and may it flow freely out of us and into the hearts of others. 

I believe that His love is the key to getting along with others. May His love cover the ugliness in our relationships. May His love cover our mistakes and theirs.

Love (the agape of God, that is) never, EVER fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8)