A Prayer to Love Your Difficult Neighbor - Your Daily Prayer - January 27

A Prayer to Love Your Difficult Neighbor
By: Alicia Searl

Bible Reading:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31

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Love is a powerful word that is often misunderstood, yet it’s the main theme woven throughout Scripture. We see the commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:5) and several mentions of loving the Lord with all that we have in the Gospels (Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27).

When Jesus was asked by one of the scribes to share the most powerful commandment, His answer was to love. Love God. Love others. Sounds so simple, yet carrying this action out requires a choice and comes with humble obedience. That’s because Biblical love vastly contradicts worldly love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 states exactly how we are called to love as faithful believers. We are to love in a way that embraces patience, kindness, honoring others, and exudes humility.

Now, to be fair, it’s easy to love others, including our neighbors, in this manner when they are friendly, welcoming, and polite. But what about when they aren’t so friendly? How do we choose to love the grumpy man down the street who never cracks a smile or the neighbor who finds no problem in blaring music until midnight? How do we truly love those “difficult people” in our lives? 

Well, Jesus tells us to love them as we love ourselves, perhaps realizing that we are “difficult” to love at times. I don’t know about you, but that hits hard. Perhaps because it prompts me to engage in deep soul-searching and inner reflection. In the end, I usually come to the realization that I am not always one who chooses to “love myself.” Ugh. And I will humbly admit that there are plenty of times that I am not always so sincere to others, and I probably appear pretty grumpy and unfriendly.   

Read Mark 12:30-31. As a believer, this is what Jesus is trying to convey in this verse. We are to love God, ourselves, and others. Love doesn’t come with stipulations or assumptions. It isn’t wrapped in the whirlwind of emotions or hasty judgments. It is also not based on worldly standards that change and evolve over time. 

If we can get the first commandment right and humbly submit to the Lord and seek Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, His word will proclaim our identity and remind us of our real, true worth, which states: 

- We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14).

- We are set apart (Jeremiah 1:5).

- We are so very loved (John 3:16).

- We are God’s chosen children (Acts 17:28).

- We are forgiven (1 John 1:9).

- We are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When we choose to seek God, He reminds us of what true love is. Then and only then are we able to carry out the second commandment, which is to love our neighbor, even the most difficult one, as ourselves. By loving God FIRST, we choose to see others the way He does, allowing us to love ourselves, so that in turn, we can truly love others.

Next time you find it hard to love your difficult neighbor, start by getting in tune with God. Ask Him to revive the love He etched inside of you as He intricately pieced you together in your mother’s womb. Ask Him to help you honor and glorify Him with love that allows you to see yourself and others through the lens of mercy and grace, empathy and compassion, and love and acceptance.

Let’s Pray:

Father God, I humbly come before You with a heart that yearns to know the endless bounds of Your love. Grant me the ability to love You with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength through my actions, words, and deeds.

Remind me of the truth and promises in Your Word that proclaim my identity. Allow those words to ring true and run deep within my heart so that I can love myself and others better. Align my heart to Your will and way so that I may choose to love others with a tender heart of kindness, compassion, and sincerity.

I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/JackF 

Alicia Searl is a devotional author, blogger, and speaker that is passionate about pouring out her heart and pointing ladies of all ages back to Jesus. She has an education background and master’s in literacy.  Her favorite people call her Mom, which is why much of her time is spent cheering them on at a softball game or dance class. She is married to her heartthrob (a tall, spiky-haired blond) who can whip up a mean latte. She sips that goodness while writing her heart on a page while her puppy licks her feet. Visit her website at aliciasearl.com and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

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