Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs.
Proverbs 10:12 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 

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I look down at my feet. Err, I’ve done it again, put on navy blue socks with black pants. If I’m in a hurry and pick my socks in a room not brightly lit, I can mistake navy blue for black. I need to bring both pairs to a bright window so that I can clearly see the difference between the navy blue and black colors. A Christian who is only kind to kind people is like a navy blue sock, not very different from anyone else unless you scrutinize them closely. 

The warm and fuzzy emotions of love for family and friends are easy. Being patient with a child or spouse when we feel frustrated or annoyed may feel difficult sometimes, but it still isn’t that hard. Every moment presents us with a choice to react. When we choose patience, kindness, generosity, selflessness and calm, we are choosing love—even when we don’t actually feel loving. Many of us can identify with choosing to love through action those we already love emotionally. It seems reasonable and rational. 

However, in Jesus’s typical fashion, He demonstrated unreasonable love. Choosing to demonstrate loving actions to difficult people. This is where the light of Christ will shine. In my life, embracing this way looks like being pleasant to the representative who answers the phone when I have a problem, even when they can’t solve the issue. It is being gracious to the person who cuts me off in line. It is consistently wishing a bright good morning to the grumpy colleague who grunts in response.

Often, I can pick out a white sock from a drawer of mixed socks. A white sock stands out from the rest and so, I consider the white sock versus the navy sock. Maybe we, as Christians, should be like white socks. But then I’m reminded that God calls us even higher. We aren’t meant to only stand out, we are to be a light. That means all day, we absorb the light of Christ, so we actually glow in the dark. I’m confident that if my socks glowed in the dark, I’d never mix them up with other colors—no more navy for black.  A person who chooses to love difficult people is like a glow-in-the-dark sock. A glow-in-the-dark sock cannot be dismissed, ignored, or mistaken for any other sock. It doesn’t just stand out, its glow shines light in the dark.

Next Steps

Spend some time with God and ask Him how you can glow in the dark. What steps can you take in your day to day to show the love of God to those around you? As you do so, consider listening to this song by Jason Gray, titled “Glow In the Dark.”