Let's discuss love again. Why is it so hard to love people that we really don't get along with? And yes, "not getting along with" and "love" are two seperate, sort of unrelated ideas. Personalities clash. It's a known fact. There's not much one can do about that. But, we can set our pride aside and love them anyway. We see love as though it is something that needs to have handles to hold on to. Like, there has to be some substance to which it can hang on. We can see something of the nature of love by the classic and undermined example of God loving us. Did we provide God's love with a handle (I am NOT talking about "love handles." On that note. . .)? Rather our nature does everything possive to push his love away from getting ahold of us, that He might love us, let alone depriving Him of a handle. Therefore, we ought love as God loves. "Uncoditional" is the term used, but what the stink does that mean? It's in our head. It's in our heart. It has nothing to do with those we strive to love. To have Christ's mind and heart is to with all our feeling, emotion, drive, desire, compulsion, longing, be for the sakes of others. Love is not a feeling that comes up at situation altering (greatening and quenching) moments. It is a state of existence that comes only to those who find it with God in their life in His immediate, yet, invisible presence. If one does not find that their above inward state characteristics are for God, then it will never be for man no matter how hard he tries. The unsaved have no real understanding of love. They can't find it, for to find it, one must gain it from a relationship with God. Let me clarify something - a relationship with God is not there so one can love. One loves so he might inflame the fire of God's popularity and image of beauty and majesty (aka glorify). So the question is - why do you want to love? Why do you want to better yourself? Why do you want to be successful in ministry? Why should you care about any of this? If the reason ends with anything other than God's glory (that's not just a textbook answer; it's never known by a 2 second soul searcihng) then your throne is occupied by vanity. WHY is a wonderful question to ask yourself throughout life. The answers come short of His glory all the time. But it's a needed thought.