WHEN IT IS HARD

BY WALLACE CALEB BATES

Tonight, one Bible verse came to me. Luke 6:35.

It demands a kind of love that steps in when no one else will, the kind that chooses to give — not because it expects something in return but because grace is its own reward.

"But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil."

We live in a world where it is easy to love people when they are easy to love: when they are kind, when they agree with us, or when they make us feel good.

But what about when they do not? What about the ones who have burned bridges, who have hurt us, who have nothing to offer back?

Jesus does not just suggest we love in these moments. He COMMANDS it. He tells us to lend, to serve, to show up, even when it feels unfair. Why? Because that is precisely what God does for us.

The heart of this verse is about living in a way that reflects the character of God. He is gracious to the ungrateful. He is kind to the undeserving.

He does not love based on merit. He loves because that is who He is. And if we call ourselves His children, then our lives should look the same.

Justice is not just about fairness. It is about standing in the gap for those who are forgotten, mistreated, and alone.

Humility is not just thinking less of ourselves. It is thinking of others more.

Grace is not about excusing wrongdoing. It is about offering the kind of love that transforms.

To live this way means stepping into the dark places. It means showing up for people when they are at their worst, when they have made mistakes, or when they are broken.

It means being the friend who answers the phone at midnight, the one who prays for someone who never says thank you, the one who loves when there is nothing to gain.

That is not easy. But then again, real love never is.

Jesus promises a reward, but it is not the kind the world chases. It is not money, recognition, or comfort.

It is something more profound, the kind of reward that comes from knowing we are walking in step with God's heart. The peace of knowing we are His children. The quiet joy of knowing we have made someone's burden a little lighter, even if they never realize it.

If we only love when it is easy, if we only give when it benefits us, we miss the point entirely.

But when we love the unlovable, when we show up for people in their darkest hours, when we choose grace over resentment, we reflect the Most High Himself.

And that is worth more than anything this world can offer.

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