Like and Love

“I don’t like you right now! But I still love you!” I hear our 4-year-old screaming at her older sister.

Trust me, I jumped up real quick to see what all the hubbub was about… and then I stopped myself.
I stopped because children need to learn to solve their problems without Mama always stepping in.

So I sat back down and waited.

It wasn’t long before the older sister came to me, tears in her eyes. After hearing the very long, drawn-out version, the main issue was this: she didn’t want to play what her younger sister was playing.

I then had to explain that she has the right to say no—as long as she says it with love. And also, not everyone is going to like you at times.

This revelation blew her mind.
“We have to like everyone… and everyone has to like me!”

Nope. Not the real world, my dear.

God calls us to love everyone, but liking is never mentioned (at least, not to my knowledge).

This was a teachable moment for sure. It’s such a hard concept for children and, truthfully, for adults as well. Yes, we are called to love people so deeply that sometimes it means speaking truths they may not want to hear.

Within moments of our conversation, I could hear the girls playing peacefully together. The crisis was avoided… for now, anyway.

May this encourage you today to continue in love. But remember, we don’t have to like everyone and everyone doesn’t have to like us.

P.S. The younger daughter never came to tell me what happened. She simply moved on in love without screaming. She’s still learning… but grace is given daily.