I rather generously consider myself to be of “middle” age. Granted, my definition of “middle” is somewhat expansive, but age is really just a number, right? At least that’s what others of my maturity tell me. And other than my insomnia and creaky joints, I’m not feeling particularly ancient.

But I am at a point in life where reflection (and regret) is a frequent exercise. Recently I have been pondering the question of whether or not God likes me. I know He loves me.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4-5

Scripture makes it clear that while I am most certainly undeserving of His love, I have it nonetheless. He made me in His image.

But I am less certain as to whether or not He likes me. How could he? After all, God hates sin. And to paraphrase Paul in his first letter to Timothy, I am the worst of sinners.

For now, I will have to leave this question unanswered. But I will pose a related one: must you (or I) have to like someone to love them?

For the Christian, loving others is not an option.

When asked which of the Commandments was the greatest, Jesus responded:

“The most important one is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:29-31

We show our love for God by loving others. We are obedient to God by loving others. We glorify God by loving others. But do we have to like them?

I concur with the viewpoint of author and pastor David L. Allen in his commentary on 1-3 John (2013):

“Liking is a matter of personal preference. Loving is a matter of obedience to Christ and the Word of God. Love penetrates beyond the superficial and moves to the essence of the person. It overcomes obstacles and excuses. Love sees beyond what it does not like in a person and minimizes it in order to see the person as Christ sees him.”

Admittedly, there is a certain former POTUS that I simply do not like. I do not like his pride. I do not like his falsehoods. I do not like his lack of compassion. I do not like his personal morality. In fact, I struggle to find anything about him that I do like.

But that is what I see. To glorify God, I need a different lens. What I need to see is that man as Jesus Christ sees him. Like me, he was created in God’s image. Like me, he is a sinner. Like He did for me, Jesus died on the cross for him.

So while I may not want to play a round of golf with this person, I love him. I love him enough to pray that he will seek Christ. I love him enough to pray that he will repent of his sins. I love him enough to pray for his salvation.

Of course, I won’t pray that he returns to the White House. I love my country, too.