Learning to Love Like God Loves
Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Matthew 5:43–48
Lent has a way of bringing us back to the basics of discipleship, and Jesus’ words in this passage go straight to the heart of what it means to follow him. It’s easy to love the people who love us back. It’s natural to be kind to those who treat us well. But Jesus invites us into something deeper—something that stretches us beyond comfort and into the very heart of God.
When Jesus says, “Love your enemies,” he isn’t asking us to pretend that hurt doesn’t exist or that injustice is acceptable. Jesus is inviting us to respond to the difficult people in our lives with a freedom that doesn’t depend on their behavior. This kind of love isn’t about liking someone or approving of what they’ve done. It’s about choosing not to let bitterness, resentment, or retaliation shape our hearts.
God “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good.” That means God's love isn’t selective or cautious. God's love is generous, steady, and undeserved.
Lent is a perfect time to let that kind of love soften the places in our heart that have grown tightened or guarded. Maybe there’s someone we avoid, someone who has disappointed us, or someone whose name alone stirs tension in our chest. Jesus isn’t asking us to fix everything at once. He's simply asking us to take one step toward mercy.
Lent isn’t just about giving things up; it’s about letting God reshape our hearts. Loving our enemies doesn’t mean pretending hurt doesn’t exist or staying in unhealthy situations. Jesus is not asking us to excuse harm. Instead, Jesus is calling us to break the cycle of resentment, bitterness, and division that keeps us trapped.
This lesson of Lent means we refuse to let hatred have the final word. It means praying for those who have hurt us—not because they were right, but because we want to be free anger and hate that can enslave us. It means letting God’s grace do in us what we cannot do on our own.
This passage ends with Jesus saying, “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In Scripture, “perfect” doesn’t mean flawless—it means whole, mature, complete. Lent is a season for becoming more whole, more like the Father whose love is wide enough to hold even those who oppose us.
Maybe this Lent, the holiest thing we can do is allow God to stretch our heart just a little wider.
You are invited to reflect today about who is the person you find hardest to love right now, and what small step toward mercy might God be inviting you to take? How might choosing forgiveness or prayer for someone who has hurt you bring greater freedom to your own heart?
Heavenly Father,
Your love reaches every corner of the world,
even the places I struggle to enter.
During this Lenten season, soften my heart
and teach me to love as you love.
Heal the wounds that make forgiveness difficult,
and give me the courage to pray
for those who have hurt me.
Make my heart more like yours—
patient, generous, and free.
Amen.