Everyone is talking about love. 

The Bible says we are to love one another. It sounds good, but it seems impossible. Whoever said, “I love mankind; it’s the people I can’t stand,” was right.

A waitress running a cash register got irritated because everyone who walked by asked what time it was. Finally she bought a clock and put it right by her cash register. Then everyone who came by said, “Is that clock right?” People are just aggravating. I had a secretary who never answered the phone. I finally asked her, “Why don’t you answer the phone when it rings?” She said, “Why should I? Nine out of 10 times it’s for you.”

It’s hard to love others. It’s even sometimes difficult to love your own family. One guy told his wife that if she really loved him, she would have married someone else.

Here are some hints on learning to L.O.V.E. others:

Listen

You can’t really love anyone unless you listen. Most of our difficulties are from not listening, like the old couple rocking on the porch. She turned to her husband and said, “I’m proud of you.” He responded, “I’m tired of you, too.” Listen not just to the facts, but also to the feeling behind the facts.

Overlook

Most things that irritate need to be overlooked. Our tendency is to retaliate. I know I do. A man called me one morning at 3:00 a.m. to tell me my dog was barking. I called him back the next morning at 3:00 a.m. to tell him I didn’t have a dog.

One lady came home and found that her teenage son had forgotten to put the clothes in the dryer. She pitched a fit and began preaching a sermon about his irresponsibility. The son, about halfway through the sermon, interrupted and asked, “Mom, when you are at church and a parent says, ‘My son is on drugs,’ and another says, ‘My daughter is pregnant,’ and another says her 13-year-old son is in reform school, do you say, ‘That’s nothing, my boy forgets to put the clothes in the dryer’?” Some things we should just overlook.

Value

To value people means to acknowledge their true worth. A renowned pastor officiated at many weddings. Often, the nervous groom would ask, “Reverend, how much do I owe you?” The pastor would always smile, look at the groom, and say, “Just pay me what she’s worth.” He made a lot of money on weddings because, at that point in time, to the groom, this lady was of unbelievable value.

Encouragement

You will never understand human behavior when you’re at Six Flags with your child, and you put her on a carousel and then try to go get a cold drink. Every time you try to leave, she calls and you have to stay to watch. Why? Because we all have the need to be appreciated.

A little boy asked his dad to throw darts with him. His dad agreed, but after a while he said, “Son, you are throwing all the darts. What am I supposed to do?” He answered, “Dad, I’m supposed to throw the darts and you’re supposed to say, ‘Wonderful!’” Everyone needs someone to say “Wonderful!” when we are throwing, and especially when we are receiving, the darts of life.

L.O.V.E.

Listen, Overlook, Value, and Encourage. Do that every day and you will love the people around you. The problem is, it’s hard to do that every day. Real love is impossible. It is supernatural. We can love only to the extent that we have been loved.

A salesman called his wife from a coin-operated phone in a distant city. After he finished the conversation, he said goodbye and replaced the receiver. As he was walking away, the phone rang. He went back and answered it, expecting to be informed of extra charges. It was the operator, and she said, “I thought you’d like to know just after you hung up, your wife said, ‘I love you.’”

Even if you have hung up on God, He says, “I love you.” Reminds me of another person, who, after He was hung up, said, “I love you.”