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What would you do for a Klondike bar? Do you remember that old commercial? The marketing team hired to promote Klondike bars capitalized on a critical part of our humanity: We will go to great lengths for something we love.

And that’s true for a lot of things, but during my years in ministry I’ve noticed a troubling trend. Sometimes the PEOPLE we love the most are taken for granted. Familiarity has a way of breeding comfort, which can lead to things like neglect; not showing the people we love that we are thinking of them and appreciate them. Or by not being careful about the way we speak; being short, irritable, or callous.

But, there’s a bigger problem:

Taking loved ones for granted can allow a subtle wedge to form in a relationship that eventually leads to people who deeply love another growing apart, or even seeing a fracture in the relationship.

Are some of your relationships potentially suffering from the kind of neglect or carelessness that comes with comfort? Could you be taking someone in your life for granted? Is someone taking you for granted?

Pause for a moment and think about some of your closest relationships. When is the last time you expressed your love and gratitude for those closet to you? When is the last time you made special effort to show it?

All relationships will experience challenges, but so much of it could be avoided if we would learn to practice genuine, Biblical love.

In a letter to the church in the ancient city of Colossae, the Apostle Paul described love and explained its importance:

Colossians 3:12:
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Would the people you are closest to describe you as compassionate, kind, humble, meek, and patient? Are you known for bearing with others and demonstrating genuine forgiveness? Are you experiencing the fruit of genuine love through harmonious relationships?

If you can’t answer all of the above in the affirmative, it is your responsibility to change today! But the truth is, you cannot change on your own. You need the help of Christ, who made this kind of love possible.
Consider the words of the Apostle Paul to the Roman church:

Romans 5:8
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus demonstrated perfect love when He died for our sins. Anyone who will confess his sin, apologize to God, and turn from that sin to follow Christ will be completely forgiven. Jesus paid the penalty for our crimes. Now, that’s love!

And Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will help you show the same kine of love to others. Seek His help and go love well!