19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.REFLECTIONSWritten by Tara SingHow do we know what love is? It's easy to list cliche examples of love: romance, flowers, chocolates, weddings. Perhaps there are more real examples of love you can think of, like a text or a letter from a friend who is thinking of you, a comforting hug, a shared moment with someone important to you.But how can we truly know what love is? And how does knowing what true love is help us to love others?We only know what love is, and what it looks like to show that love to others, because God has first demonstrated it to us. When Jesus died on the cross he showed us what love is. We were unworthy of God and we were sinners. He still chose to sacrificially love us and offer salvation. When we first understand God's love, we can't hate our brothers and sisters. It's a contradiction. If we say we love God, but hate others, we are hypocrites. Will we still find each other annoying? Yes. Will we still struggle to not be frustrated with each other? Yes. Will we still be hurt by others, and hurt others? Yes. But when we understand how God loves us it changes our hearts. God's love helps us to be compassionate and to look for ways to sacrificially serve others. If we love God, how can we hate another person, who God also loves? This is a hard word for me to hear. I am often caught up in anger towards others, I am quick to be frustrated at people, it doesn't take much for me to rant about some minor offence. Maybe it's a hard word for you too? Pray that God will keep helping you to understand just how loved you are by him. Pray that knowing how loved you are will change your heart towards others.Pray that God will help us to love our brothers and sistersABOUT THE AUTHORTara is a member of our Bossley Park Morning Church.