Loving the Unlovable
Bible Reading: 1 Peter 3:8-13
Author: Avon White (Tennessee, US)
Author: Avon White (Tennessee, US)
Thursday 6 August 2026 © The Upper Room.
A few years ago, I served a seven-month jail sentence for drink-driving.
Within the first two weeks of my incarceration, I escaped two stabbing attempts and became the victim of extortion. That was only the beginning.
Regularly, I witnessed the strong preying on the weak: food taken by force, verbal intimidation used to cut in lines, blankets stolen on bone-chilling winter nights. I hid in my ten-foot by eight-foot cell, wishing that the bullies would disappear into a bottomless pit.
Reading the Bible given to me by a sympathetic guard changed all that.
Certain passages—about loving my brother and treating others the way I would like to be treated—seemed to light up my space like neon lights.
For twelve hours a day, I read my Bible, prayed and asked God to reveal how I had come to stray so far. During this journey, God transformed my heart, enabling me to love all the often-unlovable people in my life. I was able to pray for my enemies.
We are to love unconditionally everywhere our foot makes an imprint. This great assignment God has entrusted to us as Christians may often feel like an anchor around our necks. But when we allow God to love others through us, we can be wonderfully transformed in the process.
Prayer: Dear God, help us love others as you love them. Amen
