As Christians, is it even possible to be God’s light to everyone we encounter? Can we really extend the love of God to everyone we meet? I know the theortical answer is ‘yes’ but… I even know what the answer SHOULD be, but I also know my reality.

Jesus surely set the example for us and Mother Theresa did an excellent job of loving everyone. Pope Francis probably loves almost everyone he meets too. I am sure there are others close to the ‘perfection’ end of this continuum.

We are all God’s children. We are all loved equally by the Father. Yet to begin this walk toward loving all we encounter, we must first acknowledge our role as a child of God. For all are called, but not all answer. As a Christian we begin this journey first by claiming a personal relationship with Jesus and then cultivating that relationship. As we come to know Him more, we come to love Him more. As we come to love Him more, we come to serve Him more.

And soon we are on that road to loving all we encounter. In my reality, and maybe in yours, there are bumps on the road. There are times when I don’t feel like loving the person God has placed in front of me. There are times when I would rather not be around ‘that’ person. In those times I need to lean more into Christ so that the love of Christ may be shared with another.

We are all children of God. Some people just don’t know it yet. It is our call to bring them to the way, the truth, and the life. To end, a favorite quote: “Share the gospel always; use words when necessary.”