Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. // Romans 13:8

You’ve GOT to be kidding me. I thought silently to myself. I could feel the inner groanings and grumblings begin to make their sneaky appearance. If she would just LET me in, we could sort all of this out . . . ! The thoughts kept coming.

Thoughts of judgment. Thoughts of: If she would just . . .  Thoughts of duty and responsibility continued to toss and turn in my mind and heart—each thought reflecting my eagerness to try and “fix” instead of focus on the Lord, first.

It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, more like the millionth.

Years had gone by before I’d exhausted myself. I’d tried so hard to lend the resources, share words of wisdom, and offer advice. And though my actions were meant to serve, they ultimately did more harm than good.

And out of sheer exhaustion, I found myself finally asking Jesus to help me love her instead of praying for ways to help “fix” her.

It was a transformative moment for me because I realized that love DOES help all those on whom it lands—whether seen or not. And when help is first ordered behind the intention to love, all else falls into place.

Today’s First Reading (see Romans 13:8-10) reminds us to love, and love well. Not from a place of wanting to fix the people in our lives, but to love them with hearts wide open—meeting them exactly where they are without pushing on them our own perceptions, expectations, or hopes for them.

It is a hard task, absolutely. But when we are open to it, the grace to love permeates our perceptions and allows us to see the person in front of us as God desires us to see them—as a person to love and love well. 

Trust, today, that Jesus will do the rest in His own time.