Questions about Brotherly Love

Recently loving one another has come up in conversations. I have been praying to love others better, and God has been sending me some people to practice loving others.  If you know me, you know this isn't the easiest thing for me.

Sure, I love my sister who is my favoritest person ever.  I love my friends who I naturally have common interests in and similar personalities and sense of humor.  Nothing makes me happier than meeting Monique for coffee on a Saturday morning or book club with my friends or game night and coffee with Sarah and family.  And if they ask me to do anything, I like to think that I will drop everything to do it.

But what about the unlovable? What about the sensitive people?  What about the people I have nothing in common with?  What about the quirky people (who clearly I am not)?  ~ Can you see I have a problem with naturally loving people?

What does it mean to love one another especially those I don't like?  And this is what I am learning and grappling with.  I know it means putting their interest above mine.  I know it means overlooking faults and praying for them and building them up.   But does it mean I have to like them? And what does "like" even mean?  So you can see I have a lot of thoughts swirling around.

I don't know all the answers.

Scripture says-
Love the Lord your God .... and love your neighbor as yourself. These is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31
Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this. to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15-12-13
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

Clearly I am commanded to love. But what does love look like?

1 Corinthians says Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.  

These verses give me a picture of love in action.  In loving the unlovable, I am to be patient and kind and not easily angered - things that don't come naturally.  The verses don't tell me the specifics of what to do and not do.  However if my actions are kind, not self-seeking, not keeping a record of wrong, maybe the rest will follow.

For today I don't know.  And that is okay.  I will pray to love others and for God to show me how.