Nalalaman nating tayo’y iniibig ng Diyos at lubos tayong nananalig sa katotohanang ito. Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig. Ang nagpapatuloy na umiibig ay nananatili sa Diyos, at ang Diyos ay nananatili naman sa kanya.

1 Juan 4:16

Nahihirapan ka bang mahalin ang mga taong ’di kamahal-mahal? Or have you ever found yourself struggling to love those who have betrayed you? Hindi ka nag-iisa. It’s not natural for us to love people who hurt us. Mas gugustuhin pa nga natin to cut ties with them. Pero gusto ng Diyos na mahalin natin sila.

Jesus displayed that kind of love nang i-restore Niya ang disciple Niyang si Peter. On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied Him three times. Imagine what Jesus must’ve felt! Ipinangako ni Peter na hindi niya iiwan si Jesus, but he betrayed Him when he was caught in a difficult situation.  

Maaaring dumadaan ka sa similar na situation ngayon. You don’t want anything to do with the people who have hurt you, at naiintindihan ka ni Jesus. He went through it, too. But instead of turning His back on Peter, Jesus chose to forgive. Sa John 21, after Jesus’ resurrection, pinuntahan Niya si Peter at tinanong tungkol sa pagmamahal nito sa Kanya — restoring him and giving him another chance.

Ang sabi sa 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” Hindi tayo kamahal-mahal. We’ve had our shares of failures and mistakes. But God does not condemn us. Instead, He lovingly pursues us to come back to a loving relationship with Him. And come to think of it, hindi natural sa atin ang magmahal ng mga taong ’di kamahal-mahal, pero magagawa natin ito sa tulong ng Diyos. When His love overflows in our hearts, it becomes easy to forgive and love.

Kung minamahal tayo ng Diyos, makakaya rin nating mahalin ang iba. At kung napupuno tayo ng pagmamahal Niya, nagiging madali ang pagmamahal.