John 15:17 – This is my command: Love each other. (NIV)

I have the pleasure of spending a great deal of time with my five-year-old grandson. He has a kind and loving nature and models for me quite regularly what it means for us to love each other.

One day, I accidentally damaged the mechanism for raising and lowering the drawbridge of his knight's castle. His response? "That's okay. Friends are more important." With those few words, he let me know that the people in his life are of far greater value to him than his precious knight's castle.

On another occasion, we were playing a bingo type of game for small children called "Zingo". I was hoping that he would win, because, in my experience, boys tend to be naturally competitive and can become upset when they lose. But much to my surprise, after he won the first game, he turned to me and said, "I hope you win the next game." Such generosity of spirit restores one's faith in humanity.

Another recent example was his offering of one of his cookies to me because I was his "sweetie" grandma. His words were sweeter than I'll ever be!

I don't know about you, but I often struggle with knowing what it means to comply with Christ's command to love each other. How can we possibly love everybody? How can we show constant love in our day-to-day lives? What my grandson says seems to me to be a good model because his direct and simple words clearly reflect loving-kindness. Our words can, too: heartfelt words of appreciation to a cashier, server, or delivery person; compassion, consideration, and affirmation in intimate conversations; terms of endearment.

I regularly see signs in stores, restaurants, and other public spaces thanking people for their patience and warning that offensive language and rudeness will not be tolerated. These signs became ubiquitous during the pandemic when everyone was in distress. The fact that these signs have not been taken down makes me think that simple and well-chosen words of loving-kindness in everyday interactions are needed now more than ever.

Let's pay attention to our words and the tone and manner in which we say them. In that way, we can obey Christ's command in small but important ways each and every day.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to find apt words to say to all those with whom we cross paths in our daily lives. You know how hard it is for us to show constant love — particularly in these troublesome times when there is fear, conflict, and a general decline of civility in our society. Guide us to discover new opportunities to show loving-kindness and a deeper understanding of how we can connect with each person we meet in a loving and meaningful way. Amen.