My family is sitting second row for a Clemson home game. I knew it was going to be noisy. I expected it. But, there’s a man behind us who knows everything and won’t stop yelling into the back of my head. Part of me wishes he’d just put on a jersey and show us all how the game should be played. And just when I don’t think he can get any more obnoxious—he does. The refs make a few bad calls against our beloved team, and he loses it! “What’s wrong with you, ref?” Then—at the top of his lungs—he yells a long-winded “Boooo!” at every play for the rest of the game. I agree with his assessment, but I’m more irritated with Mr. Boo Fan than the refs because he’s keeping me from appreciating my second-row seats!

One time, on an international bus ride, I was playing a question game with friends to pass the time. The question we had to answer was, “If you could be any person in the Bible, who would you choose?” When my friend answered Ruth, the reality of living Ruth’s life hit me like a ton of bricks.

Has someone you cared about hurt you on a regular basis? How do we love them?  Or...should we even try to love people who don't love us back? 

I was once in a situation where someone close to me provoked me on a daily basis. I wanted to love them freely, but they were controlling, manipulative and insulting. I survived by adopting sarcasm as a second language, avoiding one on one situations with that person, and putting up walls to make me feel as safe possible. To other people, I appeared strong and confident, but on the inside I felt lonely and misunderstood.

We all fail our friends.  We say things we don’t mean.  We are habitually inconsiderate and rude, easily offended and hurt.  We withdraw and give up when we should pursue and work through a problem.  But this doesn’t mean we are bad people.  It means we are imperfectly human. 

“Why is it so hard for me to make friends?”  And the Holy Spirit answered, “No one is perfect Sharie, and neither are you.”

I try not to hurt my friends, but I do.  When I realize what I’ve done, my first hope is for them to love, listen, forgive and give me the benefit of the doubt.  Don’t we all want to be understood and forgiven?  This is what it means to believe the best.