Love the Unlovely

It was a good weekend.
A little tainted by the actions of a family member. She was rather displeased with me and proceeded to show me by acting rudely and attempting to avoid physical contact and ignoring me whenever possible.
This is a regular routine whenever I veer outside the boundaries of what she deems "appropriate."
By the end of things, I was anxious to go home and feeling quite hurt. But after some time alone and imagination over what I might say in a conversation, I decided that what I really needed to do is to love her.
And then I realized something quite valuable: love that only accepts easy assignments is really of little value at all. Because real love is something that is both tough and gentle, able to comfort, and able to withstand. And while it may seem silly to point out that Jesus did not command me to "love the lovely, the charming, the gentle, and the sweet," it's true. He commanded me to love my "neighbor." Even the cranky neighbors who are stuck in their ways.
Especially them.
So I think that what I received tonight was not so much hurt feels as a lesson in love.