Jesus spent his life serving. The one who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28) healed the sick, washed his disciples’ feet, cried with the mourning, fed the hungry, comforted the hurting, and—ultimately—gave his life for them. When he went back to heaven, he gave us the privilege to serve others in his name.

So now it’s our job. Serving the people I like is not a challenge. But I struggle when it comes to being kind to those who aren’t near the top of my favorite people list. Maybe they hurt me in the past, perhaps we have opposite views on cultural topics, or maybe our personalities just don’t mesh. Who is it for you? Maybe it’s the person who is so vocal about politics, the neighbor who is mad because of homeowners’ association issues, the coworker who’s never held accountable for her poor work. 

I’ve looked, but I haven’t found a passage in the Bible in which God gives us a pass on loving and serving the people we don’t prefer. Instead he says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

We don’t live in heaven (yet), so peace may not always be possible. But when it is, if it’s in our power, it’s our job to serve, to love, to live at peace—even with the people we don’t like.