The thing I wonder about when "religious folk" talk about works and labor--and of course they don't SAY it in those terms, but they are more like the Pharisee in Luke chapter 18 who is thanking God for how wonderful he is while kicking a publican in order to make one man look smaller and himself look bigger--is that in most cases it is really obvious what (who) is real, and what (who) is fake. Its really obvious what works and what doesn't. Spoiler alert: scaring people straight doesn't work. Works and labor don't work. More rules make more rulebreakers. Strict parents make sneaky kids. So instead of trying to force behavior change on people, what we need to do is inspire people. What we need to do is, instead of telling people what's wrong with them... instead of telling people who they're not... we need to start telling people what's RIGHT with them. We need to start telling people who they ARE. Who they are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in them. Which is Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. And in knowing and believing that love is IN there, it WILL come out. Naturally. Its too big, and too good, to do anything else. Its too good to keep to yourself. And THAT'S what works. Love works. Love wins, if I can say it that way. If you love the hell out of someone, and show them that they are NOT a low down dirty "sinner" who deserve's to be kicked when they're down, that's when you can start to see a REAL, LASTING change in someone. From the inside out. What's inside COMING out. Because that will happen no matter what. What you believe is inside WILL come out. Right believing produces right behavior. Faith works by love, and faith without works is dead. Because love--believing that you are loved--equips and empowers you to love. You can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. There is no such thing as a love that says, "I'll scratch your back SO THAT you'll scratch mine." That's not love at all. See, love doesn't HAVE a motive. Love IS the motive. And I think love is the best--the only?--reason to do anything. Do it because its in your heart to do it. Don't do it because you're "supposed to." Because then you'll just be going through the motions. It won't be real. And it won't last. Don't try to be someone you're not. Because at the end of the day you are who you are. The inner man. The hidden man of the heart. And when you look into that mirror with an unveiled face--when you stop trying to climb the sycomore tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and when you let Jesus into your house... into your heart--that's when you see who you REALLY are. And that's when you can stop trying to be someone you're not. That's when you can EMBRACE who you really are. And THAT'S when you can start to embrace others. Which, by the way, is the New Commandment. Love others as Jesus loves you. Receive it and release it. Let Jesus love you so big and so hard that you couldn't keep it in if you wanted to. Which you won't. Because love is giving. And it is experienced when you give it away. That's what works. Not religion, but relationship. Not external rules and laws. But the perfect law of liberty. Love in you, coming out through you. That's what people need. That's what's real. And that's what works.

Works (and labor) don't work. You can't earn a gift, no matter how hard you try. And you can't be someone you're not, either. Like Popeye said, "I am what I am." (God said that too, so...) But faith works by love, and faith without works is dead. So true faith--walking by faith faith--is all about DOING works of love. Charity. Love in action. That's what Jesus did when He first TOLD us what love is, and then SHOWED us what love is. He said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay his life down for his friends" (John 15:13). And then He went to the cross and did that very thing. He put His money where His mouth was. He put His Words (the Word of God is love, right?) into action. And that's why I like the definition of love found in 2 Corinthians 12:15 in the NLT so much: "I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems the more I love you, the less you love me." Guys... love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. And God love is giving everything you have and everything you are. Laying your life down for your friends. And understanding that you can only destroy your enemies by MAKING them your friends. By heaping coals of fire--GOD is the consuming fire--on their heads in order to melt their hearts. I'm telling you, its really hard to not like somebody who just loves and loves and loves you. So my point is: what you do matters. Not because what you do defines who you are, but because what you do FLOWS from who you are. Rest is NOT inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. And since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that leads and guides us into all truth... the truth that God is our heavenly Father and He loves us unconditionally... the activity that the Holy Spirit directs us to do... is... love. And that, by the way, is what works. Shoving Jesus down somebody's throat doesn't work. They'll just choke on Him. And scaring people straight doesn't work. People will run FROM an angry God, so we shouldn't portray Him that way. What works is loving the hell out of people. And the only WAY that works is when we let Jesus love the hell out of us. That's the New Commandment; love one another AS Jesus has loved you. Receive it and release it. Now let me say something as I wrap up this Rant: There are times in my life when I can strengthen myself in the Lord. Praying in the Spirit and things of that nature. But most of the time... God works through people. So in order to let God love the hell out of us we need to let other people love us. We need to guard our hearts. Because out of the heart flows the issue of life. Which is love. (What else would flow out of the heart?) So guarding the heart isn't about closing it down and keeping people out. Its not about building walls to hide behind because we've been hurt before. Guarding your heart is about keeping it OPEN. Keeping it open to love. Faith works BY love because when Jesus said, "...Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22), He was saying, "Have faith in LOVE." Because God IS love. Nothing works without love. When we know it, and believe it, that's when we can walk in it. That's when we can experience it by receiving it (from others...) and releasing it. The work of God is to believe. In love.

I love the story of Zacchaeus. Its kind of the perfect example of what I've been Ranting about. Here's this guy who is "little of stature." Whether that necessarily means short, or perhaps he (and everyone else) didn't think very highly of himself doesn't really matter. I think it works either way. Because either way he wanted to see Jesus. And either way he tried to do it through works and labor. By climbing a tree. Specifically, a sycomore tree. Which, according to Strong's Greek Concordance, is a fig tree. Also known as the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The tree of death. Zacchaeus thought he needed to climb that tree in order to get to where he needed to be. And that's the trap that religion sets for us. That's the lie that the serpent hissed into Eve's ear; you have to do in order to be. You're not good enough as is. But if you try hard enough, work hard enough, climb high enough, maybe... just maybe... you'll be able to become something you're not. And I think that's the biggest difference between religion and relationship. Religion wants you to be someone you're not. Relationship loves you just the way you are. And that's literally what Jesus says to this guy who is swinging from branch to branch on the tree of death. Trying to do good... but failing. Trying to be someone he's not, but only ever able to be who he believes he is. Look at Luke 19:5, "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at they house." So first things first: Zacchaeus was trying to get to Jesus. But Jesus came right to Him. That's how love works. It (HE) doesn't demand that we come up to it (Him). He comes down to us. Meets us right where we're at. And Jesus didn't condemn Zacchaeus either, even though what he was doing wasn't working. He simply told Him to knock it off. To repent, or change his mind, because the Kingdom was at hand. We keep tryinig to "get to heaven" when Jesus brought heaven to earth. And then Jesus gives Him the key to the Kingdom. Get out of that tree... because I must abide at your HOUSE. We don't need to turn over a new leaf. We need to see the fig tree as cursed, and withered, and dead. We need to start eating--and sharing--the fruit from an entirely different tree! The Tree of Life! And that fruit of THAT Tree is the fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. Jesus said, "I must abide at your house." Because that's where Jesus lives. In us. He is the carpenter, and we are the house that He built for Himself to live in. HE did the work, and we get to enjoy the fruit of HIS labor. His work was to do all the heavy lifting. To do what we couldn't do. To fulfill the Law of Moses and put an end to the Old Covenant and a beginning to the New Covenant. And our work is to believe. Because guess what Zacchaeus did: He got out of that tree and took Jesus to his house! And then, without Jesus demanding it (or even suggesting it) Zacchaeus began to bring forth good fruit. He started promising to give away half of his good to the poor, and things of that nature. Because all of a sudden--with Jesus in his house--he had a NEW nature. A generous nature. A love nature. And then, all of a sudden, he began to do good works. Because he wasn't trying to be someone else anymore. Because--with Jesus in his house--he finally knew who he was!

The work of God is believing in the Son of God. Believing that who you are in Christ is who Christ is in you. Believing that you don't have to "become perfect," through works and labor, because you already ARE perfect. Believing that you are complete in Him, because He is complete in you. And let me tell you, all that believing can be a lot of work. Fighting the good fight of faith is not easy. Laying hold of eternal life is one of the hardest things to do. Because there are two reports you can believe. Two masters you can serve. And one of them--the world--screams at you from the top of its lungs. And the other one--God--speaks in a still, small voice. The world is right there on the surface, everywhere you look. "The fact of the matter is." While the truth is a little bit deeper. And the truth is higher than fact. Because no matter what something LOOKS like, the truth is... what God says goes. "...let God be true, but every man a liar..." (Romans 3:4). Jesus proclaimed Himself to BE the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Way to the Father. The Truth about the Father. The Life of the Father. And when we understand what it means that, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17), then we will understand that THIS is the day of judgment. Not one in which our works and labors are judged, but one in which a righteous judgment has been passed down and we can EXECUTE that judgment! God's judgment was not to kill His only begotten Son. Jesus gave His life willingly as a sacrifice. God's judgment was to raise Jesus--and us IN Jesus--from the dead. God's judgment was an everlasting, eternal, abundant, Resurrection Life sentence! But my point today is about working the work of God. My point today is about believing. And what I want to say is: "So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ" (Romans 10:17 NLT). Faith isn't something that you muster up in order to make something happen. Faith comes from hearing that Word about Christ. The Word. Which is Jesus. Which is love. The truth about who you really are. And watch this: "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6). Faith works by love. Love in action--or works of love--is charity. And works of love work by faith. When you know who you are, you can stop trying to be someone you're not. You can BE who you are. I like Galatians 5:6 even better in the NLT: "For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love." Faith works by love. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. Works and labor don't work. Which doesn't mean you sit by and don't do anything. Rest is not inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. And what the Holy Spirit directs us to do... is love one another. By leading and guiding us into all truth. The truth that we ARE loved. What works is love expressing Himself to us, and in us, and through us, and as us. The work of God is believing that we are loved, and then loving each other with that same love!

Man, this is a big subject to try to get into, isn't it? I think when we--in anything resembling a "religious circle"--hear this word a big red flag flies up. Because we associate "works" with "labor." And we know that works and labor are bad, right? Works and labor... don't work. When Cain and Able each brought a sacrifice to God... Cain brought the works of his labor. The fruit of the ground. What HE could produce. And God wasn't interested in it. At all. On the other hand, Able brought a lamb. The only sacrifice God has ever, or will ever, require or accept. So in that respect we should be wary of works and labor. We should make sure we aren't trying to earn something that can't be earned. In Genesis chapter 3, when God is (seemingly) doling out punishment He says, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread..." (Genesis 3:19). And that, like the Law of Moses that came later, made perfect sense to the natural mind. Work hard and get what deserve. Okey dokey. Perform and you'll be rewarded. Mess up and you'll get punished. So we built religion, and society, and our lives on this principle. The problem, again, is that that's not what God wanted for us. So, at the appointed time, He sent His Son to redeem us. And Jesus sweated great drops of blood. Because its not the sweat of your face that matters. Its your DNA. Its not what you do... its who you are. Because who you are DETERMINES what you'll do. You do what its in your nature to do. Let me say it another way: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). What you do flows from what's in your heart. If there is bitterness in there, everything you do will be tainted with bitterness. Hurting people hurt people. But loved people love people. If you know and believe there is love in your heart, it WILL flow out. Naturally. And this is my point, and the idea we're going to look at for the next few days: What is inside your heart WILL flow out... in actions. That's what charity is, love in action. Guys, rest is NOT inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. Before Saul was converted to Paul he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to do God's work. He was completely in the wrong most of the time because he didn't have a revelation of Jesus, but he was doing the best he could with what he knew. And then, watch this, after Saul was converted to Paul he ran around like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to do God's work! His conversion didn't slow him down. In fact, it probably sped him up. Because all of a sudden he wasn't laboring. He was flowing. He was still working. And he was still working hard. He even worked as a tent maker, right? He said, "...if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). So it seems that having a good work ethic is a good thing. It seems that the only times "works and labor" are discouraged is when you are trying to earn something... FROM GOD... with them. When you are trying to perfect yourself through the flesh, instead of completely identifying with the perfection that already in you. The perfection of Jesus. Which is actually what Jesus said in John 6:29, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." And that's where we're going to end today, and where we're going to pick up tomorrow. With the truth about what the work of God actually is. And what it actually is... is believing!

Love is not easy... if you're trying to do it yourself. Based on whether or not somebody "deserves" it. Because we can always find fault with people, if we're looking for it. In fact, I'm convinced that we can find anything we're looking for. Jesus said it like this, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7). The problem is that most of the time we either look for the wrong thing, or we look in the wrong place. Looking for love in all the wrong places leaves us feeling unworthy of love. And if we don't feel that we ARE loved, then its not easy TO love. Impossible, in fact. Because you can't give what you don't have. But when we go to the source of love, we find that it (HE) has been inside us all along. We already have everything we need. So rather than having "an eye for an eye" as our philosophy and giving back what people give us, we can break the cycle. We can give people what we've got regardless of what they give us. Regardless of whether they "deserve" it or not. Come on, guys. Jesus died for us when we didn't deserve it at all. We were calling for Barabus. We we calling for Jesus' head. And that's exactly what He gave us. But what was supposed to be death's greatest victory was really life's declaration that no grave could hold Jesus down. Which means no grave can hold US down. So when something (love) seems like its too hard for us, what we ought to do is stop trying so hard. Stop trying to force a square peg into a round hold. I'm convinced that the two hardest things in the world are 1. Doing something you don't want to do and 2. Not doing something you do want to do. My point is: Stop trying. Don't have a, "I'm supposed to love everybody so if I don't I'm not a good Christian" mindset. That's called condemnation. And there is no condemnation in Christ. Don't try to be someone you're not. Don't try to do something you can't. Just remember that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. When you can't... that's when He will. That's WHY Jesus gave His life (both for us and as us). He took death's best shot so that we might experience and enjoy His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. As He LOVES in us, and through us, and as us. When its not easy... stop struggling. Let go and let God, as they say. Cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you. Stop focusing on WHY its so hard to love someone. Stop looking at the surface stuff (both "good" and "evil," positive and negative) and let the love that's in you flow out. Naturally. As you fill yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. And I know sometimes even THAT is not easy. Sometimes we don't feel worthy of God's love. But I'm telling you, "...I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love" (Romans 8:38 NLT). And when we know that we are loved... we CAN love. Easily!

Helping or hurting? That's the question I ask myself before I do something. Especially before I do something that is not easy. Because if its helping, then it doesn't matter if its easy or not. Most of the time, the harder a thing is, the more worthwhile it is. But if its hurting... then you should stop. Don't quit because its not easy. But don't keep going if there no chance what you are doing will end in a positive result. Don't keep banging your head against the wall. Unless you WANT a headache. Because that's what you're going to get. A headache. And don't go past your personal point of no return, either. That won't help anybody, and that will hurt everybody. Just do what you can do. And understand that you can't do it all. Understand that you are not expected to do it all. Stay in your lane, if I can say it that way. "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Ephesians 4:1). If the Apostle Paul can say it that way. My point is: Stop trying to be someone you're not, and stop trying to do something you can't do. I said earlier that most worthwhile things are hard. But I didn't say you should struggle with works and labor in order to do those things. The underlying principle behind everything I Rant is Jesus, right? Which means its love. And love isn't a struggle. Despite what the songs would have you believe, love is not a battlefield. Despite what it feels like most of the time, love is not a fight. And even if it was, its not a fight WE have to fight. The ONLY fight we need to have anything to do with here on this side of the cross is found in 1 Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." Its the good fight of faith. Knowing and BELIEVING the truth. Laying hold of the gift that we've already been given. Not getting the gift. Not earning the gift. If you have to earn it, its not a gift at all. Laying hold of the gift. Laying hold of what we have been called to. Again: Walking worthy of our vocation, or calling. Letting God stretch us, so that we can test the height, and length, and depth, and breadth of His love by loving each other bigger than we ever thought possible... but not overextending ourselves. And, listen, I know that can be a delicate balance. I know it can be hard to decide how much is enough. But one of my favorite catchphrases goes like this, "Know when to say when." And my way of making that phrase work for me--because I would tend to just keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny--is to simply do my best and forget the rest. I know who I am, because I know who my heavenly Father says I am. So I don't need to be anybody else. I don't need to go over and above what I'm capable of. All I need to do is go upward and God-ward. All I need to do is give it all I've got. Because then it'll either be enough, or it won't. If it is... great. If its not... I'll shrug my shoulders and move on. Let go and let God, as they say. So when something is not easy we should NOT automatically give up. Flight is not the best option. But at the same time, if you aren't helping... don't keep fighting just to fight. Sometimes its not about fight OR flight. Sometimes (every time) its about love. Giving everything you have and everything you are and trusting that, at the very least, you've done YOUR part.

When someone does us wrong, I think our first instinct is either fight or flight. We either want to give them back an eye for an eye (and back it up Biblically) or we want to build a giant wall between us and that person. And that second one is kind of the thought I've been grappling with for a while now, and really kind of the whole reason for this Rant series. (You didn't think I wrote every day because I have things all figured out, did you? I write because it helps me figure things out!) Here's where I at: You can love someone, and avoid them, right? We love everybody, but that doesn't mean we have to LIKE everybody, right? And I gotta be honest, I'm pretty sure that was just me being selfish. Because love is unconditional. It has absolutely nothing to do with the other person (or with you, for that matter). When we start to try to decide when and where to love that's when love stops being love at all. And I said this already but I think it bears repeating: There ARE some people that I can't reach. Some people, when I start to talk, hear white noise. And that's where one of my favorite catchphrases comes in. "Do your best and forget the rest." Because I'm not RESPONSIBLE for reaching everybody. But I am responsible for LOVING everybody. And once I've given everything I am and everything I have... its either enough, or its not. If its enough, great. If its not... let me say it like this, "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet" (Matthew 10:14). I like it even better in the Message Bible, "If they don't welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way." Again: Do your best and forget the rest. Don't kill yourself trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. But I feel like if those same people then turned around and came to you for help... you oughta help them. Maybe they couldn't receive you AT THAT TIME. You know? We're all on the same journey (the never-ending life-long journey into the heart of the matter, which is the heart) but we're also all at very different points in that journey. Those people that hear the adults from Charlie Brown when I talk, "Wah wah wah wah wah," they might be able to pick up what I'm laying down later on. And if I close the door on them, then I'M the one being selfish. So I guess my point is, the easy thing to do when you reach out and your hand gets slapped away is to stop reaching out. But the LOVING thing to do is to reach out regardless. Like that old saying, "Don't cross an ocean for someone who wouldn't cross a puddle for you." I say phooey on that. I say cross the ocean. And I say when you're acting in love (charity) you'll be able to walk on the water anyway. I say love knows no bounds. And I say love never fails. So even when the person is "not easy" to love, just remember... nothing is too hard for the Lord. Nothing is too hard for God. And God is love. So nothing is too hard for love. Certainly loving people isn't too hard for love. That's the whole point OF love. Giving people what they need (sometimes whether they know they need it or not). Love isn't always easy. But it IS always worth it. So don't give up when the going gets tough. Tough times don't last, but tough people do!

Here's where (and when, and why) loving people seems like its not easy: We judge them, and we think we have to do it ourselves. Look at Jeremiah 32:27 in the NLT, "I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?" And the answer, of course, is no. There is nothing too hard for God. Especially loving people. That's not just what God does, that's who God IS. He would have to stop being God in order to stop loving people. And for the record, this is how God sees "good" people and "bad" people: ""You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike" (Matthew 5:43-45 NLT). He loves without a thought. Because its His nature to do so. He gives sunlight and rain to everybody. I say this all the times: Deserve's got nothing to do with it. And when we can stop looking AT people and start looking IN people we'll see that no matter what our actions say, we are all worthy of love. When we stop responding to what's happening, and giving people back what they give to us... that's when things can GET easy. Because all we have to do is look within. See what we've got, and share it with others. And, like I always say, the coolest part is that you EXPERIENCE love by giving it away! I still remember one time when I gave someone a pretty big gift, and the way they responded (literally shaking with surprise, and joy, and gratitude)... I've never felt so much love. Not because of what I GOT, but because of what I GAVE. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't do it for that response. You can't control how people respond to you. But its the icing on the cake. And its awesome. My point, I think, is that when you stop trying and just let the love inside you flow... that's when living becomes easy. That's when its easy to love those people who do you wrong. Because you're not worried about what they're doing. (And for the most part I think that people are FOR themselves more than they are AGAINST you anyway. I think most of the time you're just in the way, not necessarily the target.) So when its not easy, stop trying. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Stop trying to do what Jesus would do and just let HIM do it in you, and through you, and as you. Live Jesus' life by letting HIM live it in you, and through you, and as you. Let what's inside come out. Because that IS easy. When you know and believe that its in there. When you simply set your affection on things above and receive and release the love of God. When it doesn't matter what's going on around you, because you know what's going on inside you. What's inside WILL come out. Or rather, what you BELIEVE is inside will come out. Let it. This little light of mine, right? I'm gonna LET it shine. Easiest thing in the world. Stop trying to be someone you're not and just be who you are. Who you REALLY are. Who you are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in you. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. Coming out simply, easily, and naturally!

I always try to point people to the simplicity of the Gospel. The good news that Jesus gave His life for us, and to us. The good news that we are unconditionally loved by our heavenly Father. And because we ARE loved, we CAN love. Pretty simple, right? But I have never, not one time, said it was always easy. Sometimes it IS easy to love people. Because, as Jesus put it, "I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love" (Luke 7:47 NLT). There's a lot there, and a lot of context, but my point is... when people are nice to you, its easy to love them. Its those people who do you wrong that make it not easy. And while Jesus had an answer for that too, "But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you" (Luke 6:27-28 NLT), I've found that the two hardest things in the world to do are 1. DO something you don't want to do and 2. DON'T do something you do want to do. And I've found that when someone slaps you in the face, its really hard to turn the other cheek. When someone slaps your hand away you really don't want to keep reaching out. But I've also found that when its the hardest... its the most important. Because true maturity is when you stop taking things personally. When you start to try to understand WHY they are slapping you away. And instead of giving them back what they have given you, you break the cycle and give them what YOU have. You do the hard thing, because its the right thing. And, listen, I absolutely believe you should do your best and forget the rest. I absolutely believe that if you give something everything you've got its either enough... or it isn't. My point being: Don't give up on something because its hard. But don't keep banging your head against the wall either. Sometimes you hurt (yourself and others) more by hanging on than by letting go. You can't help everybody. And I can't either. But if you give up because its not easy then I think you've given up too soon. Love is giving everything you are and everything you have regardless of the result. EVEN THOUGH it seems like the more you love the less you are loved. But watch this: those who are forgiven much, love much. So instead of judging whether or not to love someone by how easy (or not easy) it is... instead of judging people according to their appearance, or their actions... what we ought to do is judge righteous judgment. If someone does you wrong, do them RIGHT. Don't let the external define the internal. Don't be a thermometer and just take the temperature. Be a thermostat and SET the temperature. Don't worry about what came before, or what will come after. You can't control that. You CAN control what YOU do. And you can let Christ's love control you. So love them anyway. Even when its not easy. ESPECIALLY when its not easy.