One of my chores at home as a teenager was doing the laundry. I had to take the clothes out of their baskets, put them into the washing machine, add the soap, and turn it on. To get the soap out of the bottle it came in, I had to take off the lid, and pour it out onto the clothes.
That’s a little like what today’s Bible verse talks about.
This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. – Romans 5:5
To get the soap out of the bottle and into the laundry to do it’s cleaning work, I had to open the bottle and pour out the soap. If I didn’t, then the clothes wouldn’t get clean. That’s very similar to God’s love. God had to take the love He has and pour it into our hearts.
This is good news for us as Christians. That means that we don’t have to find love, or drum up love for other people. We can take the love that God gave us, and use it instead.
So in those moments when you face people that are hard to love. In those times when you wonder how you’ll go on or how you’ll love the unlovable people in your life, know that you don’t have to do it. God gave you what you need to love others. You just have to realize the love is there and use it to love others. It’s kind of like how the washer stirs the soap up to get the clothes clean. You’ve got to draw on and stir up the love God has placed in your heart. As you do, you’ll see good results loving others.