When Judgment Is Easy, But Love Is Hard

There’s no growth without listening.

And I don’t just mean hearing words—I mean listening with the intent to understand, not just to respond. These days, we live in a world where people are ready to be offended, eager to find something to hate, and constantly searching for what separates us instead of what brings us together. But that’s not who I want to be. That’s not who I’m becoming.

It’s easy to judge. It’s even easier to dismiss someone who sees the world differently than you. But love? Real love? That’s hard. Because real love is soft. Gentle. Kind. Patient. The kind of love that doesn’t seek to control or correct but to connect.

I don’t believe in “tough love.” To me, it’s an oxymoron. Love was never meant to be harsh or aggressive. If the love we’re offering only shows up as force, maybe it’s not love at all—maybe it’s pain we’ve repackaged, a wound we’ve learned to weaponize. We have to ask ourselves: is this love I’m giving... or is it a version of hate disguised as something noble?

Somewhere along the way, I thought my mission was to spread God’s message. But now I see—His message is already out there. Maybe what He wants from me isn’t another post, another quote, another correction. Maybe what He wants is representation. For me to live out what grace really looks like. For me to show what mercy feels like in real life. To be a living example of what love can be when it’s rooted in Him.

And that means letting go of my feelings sometimes. Because honestly? My feelings don’t matter more than God's glory. My pride, my opinions, my desire to be “right”—they can’t take priority over the one thing He asked us to do: love one another.

This journey I’m on isn’t about me being heard—it’s about making room for others to feel safe. It’s about choosing love over judgment. Compassion over correction. Listening over lecturing. Because every time I choose to love, I get to show people what God’s message looks like, not just what it sounds like.

Bookmark this for when the road gets hard—you’re going to need the reminder.