This type of love ought to be common in the family of God, among those of us who are brothers and sisters in Christ. But there is more. The answer to those questions is not as obvious as it might seem at first. Expressing genuine love is the most difficult consistent choice that you and I can make. Fairly early in life we come to understand that love is most desired and most disappointing.
Love is essential, but it seems maddeningly unreasonable.
Most of us can identify with a story Dr. Allender tells about a woman he counseled. When I first read it, I confess that it made tears sting my eyes. I wondered if I had been the same with my own children from time to time. Dr. Allender's client found it impossible to love others adequately. Her choice to build walls around her heart began when she was a little girl disappointed in loving and being loved.