Article October 16, 1989 Issue

Loving those who seem unlovable

The love Jesus taught can always be expressed.

William Russell Hays

If all we know about someone is disagreeable behavior, he or she may appear very unlovable. And this may cause us to fear or resent that person. Yet in the interest of both our own harmony and a more peaceable world, we need to learn how to obey Christ Jesus' command to love our neighbor^{ See Matt. 22:39 .}—including those who may appear to have no lovable or admirable qualities.

Recently I was scheduled to play a tennis match with a partner who, in prior matches with others, appeared to be the most unpleasant, offensive individual I had ever seen—on the tennis court or off. He harassed everyone on both sides of the net and was especially indignant when his partner made a mistake.

All I knew about this man was what I had seen—and that made him seem totally unlovable. Under the circumstances, what could I do? My answer was found in one of Christ Jesus' last lessons to his disciples before the crucifixion, when he instructed them: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."^{ John 13:34.}

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