A thought by John C. Maxwell (2017-03-07) from his book, No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity (p. 103). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
And we all know that to be true, don’t we? We may never have felt we’ve had it but we do want it.
John says, “Unconditional love is the greatest gift we can give another person. It allows someone to feel secure, be vulnerable, sense their worth, and discover who they really are. How do I know that? My mother unconditionally loved me! That was what her love did for me. And that’s what I want to do for other people.”
He goes on, “I once heard President George W. Bush say to his daughter, ‘I love you, and there’s nothing you can do to keep me from loving you, so stop trying.’ I laughed and then reflected that unconditional love can be tested, but it always passes the test.”
John continues, “I believe that all people long to have a consistent friend who loves them, believes in them, and is continually there for them no matter the circumstances. If you’re willing to be that kind of person for others, not only will it expand your people capacity, it will also give you a more satisfying life.
“You may also be thinking, I can’t do this with everyone, because some people are just difficult. That’s true— for all of us. Debbie Ellis calls such people porcupines in her book How to Hug a Porcupine. When I was a pastor, we called such people EGRs— extra grace required. But we can all use extra grace from time to time. Maybe those who face the greatest challenges are the ones who have difficult people in their families. A friend once told me, ‘My family is a circus, and every day there is a different clown.’ Family life is ground zero in learning how to deal with difficult people.”
Now it makes a major difference when you have God’s unconditional love in your lives. It really does.
So, is this a gift that you want to give?
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