We live in a broken world filled with hurting people. My guiding principle over the years has become simple: “Love like Jesus.”
I fall short of it often, but as a therapist I firmly believe that if we all had the ability to love like Jesus, then, well… I might be out of a job.
In a world where people consistently loved like Jesus, we would comfort one another through difficult seasons and offer the gentle compassion that helps wounds heal.
Instead, the brokenness of this world often creates wounds within us that make it difficult to recognize and respond compassionately to the wounds others carry.
Some pain is easy to recognize—the loss of a loved one, the end of a marriage, or a painful diagnosis. Other wounds remain hidden beneath smiles, accomplishments, and carefully chosen words. They may reveal themselves through anxiety, depression, addiction, anger, or the persistent fear of never being enough.
When we encounter someone who is struggling, our own brokenness may tempt us to judge their behavior, distance ourselves from their pain, or attempt to “fix” them quickly.
Jesus shows us a different way.
He teaches us to slow down, look beyond the surface, and love the person in front of us with compassion, truth, and grace.
Jesus Saw the Person, Not Just the Problem
Jesus did not look at hurting people with disgust or frustration, nor did He shame them for their shortcomings. He looked at them with compassion.
Loving like Jesus begins when we ask God to help us see people as He sees them.
Throughout Scripture, Jesus consistently moved toward people whom others avoided. He spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well despite the cultural and social barriers between them. He touched those who were considered unclean. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He defended the woman caught in adultery while still calling her toward a different way of living. He welcomed children, noticed the overlooked, and restored dignity to people who had been reduced to their mistakes or circumstances.
Jesus never treated people merely as problems to be solved.
He saw their stories, their suffering, and their God-given worth.
Brokenness Is Part of the Human Experience
The phrase “loving the broken” does not mean that some people are broken while the rest of us are whole.
Every person carries wounds.
Every person has experienced disappointment, fear, sin, rejection, grief, or failure. Some people’s struggles are simply more visible than others.
Romans 3:23 reminds us that:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
None of us stands above another in perfection. We all need grace, healing, and redemption.
Recognizing our own need for grace changes the way we respond to others. It allows us to replace judgment with humility and criticism with curiosity.
Instead of asking, “What is wrong with this person?” we can begin asking, “What might this person have experienced?” or “What pain could be underneath this behavior?”
This does not mean ignoring harmful choices or abandoning healthy boundaries. It means remembering that a person is always more than the worst thing they have done, the diagnosis they carry, or the difficult season they are walking through.
Loving Like Jesus Is Not the Same as Fixing
When someone we love is hurting, our natural instinct may be to offer advice, find a solution, or say something that will make the pain disappear.
Although these responses are often well-intentioned, they can leave hurting people feeling unheard or misunderstood.
Jesus was fully present with people. He asked questions. He listened. He wept. He responded not only to what people said, but also to what they deeply needed.
Sometimes love looks less like fixing and more like slowing down and being present with someone in their struggle.
It may mean sitting beside a grieving person without rushing them toward gratitude. It may mean listening to a struggling teenager without immediately giving a lecture. It may mean responding to a spouse’s fear with reassurance rather than defensiveness.
Simple words such as “I’m here,” “You are not alone,” or “Thank you for trusting me with this” can communicate far more love than an immediate solution.
Making Room for the Healing Process
Healing is rarely immediate or predictable. Emotional wounds often develop over many years, and recovery may include progress, setbacks, questions, and difficult days.
We may become discouraged when someone does not change as quickly as we had hoped. Yet Jesus is patient with the process.
Philippians 1:6 assures us:
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Our responsibility is not to force transformation.
We can pray, encourage, listen, support, establish healthy boundaries, and point people toward helpful resources, but true transformation belongs to God.
Loving someone does not require us to approve of every decision they make or protect them from every consequence. Sometimes love is gentle and comforting. At other times, it is honest and firm.
Jesus demonstrated both grace and truth, and learning to love like Him means asking God for the wisdom to know what each situation requires.
Love Begins with Receiving God’s Love
It is difficult to extend grace when we have not learned to receive it ourselves.
Many people are willing to believe that God forgives others while privately wondering whether His grace truly applies to them. They carry shame about past decisions, family struggles, mental health symptoms, or the ways they believe they have failed.
Yet Jesus did not come only for those who appear to have everything together. He came for people who knew they needed Him.
Psalm 34:18 tells us:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
God is not repelled by our pain. He draws near to us in it.
When we allow God to meet us in our own wounded places, we become more capable of meeting others in theirs. His compassion softens us. His forgiveness humbles us. His patience teaches us to be patient.
Becoming a Safe Place
Jesus moved toward hurting people—and He invites us to do the same.
We may not be able to remove another person’s pain, but we can help ensure they do not have to carry it alone.
We become safe people when we listen without interrupting and refuse to participate in gossip. Loving like Jesus means checking on the friend who has become quiet. It means welcoming the person who feels out of place and responding to vulnerability with compassion rather than judgment.
It means being willing to sit in uncomfortable places without turning away.
May we show up in this world as people who look beyond behavior, recognize the pain beneath the surface, and offer the kind of love that reminds others they are not forgotten.
In a world where many people expect judgment or rejection, may our lives reflect the welcoming, compassionate, truthful, and restorative love of Jesus.
You Don’t Have to Walk Through It Alone
Professional counseling can be one of the ways God brings healing into our lives. Seeking therapy does not indicate weak faith.
God frequently works through relationships, wisdom, medical care, supportive communities, and trained professionals.
No struggle places someone beyond the reach of God’s love. If you are hurting, Renewing Life Center has compassionate clinicians who are ready to meet you in your struggle and walk alongside you through the healing process.
Ready to take the next step? Contact Renewing Life Center at 702-434-7290 to learn more or schedule an appointment.
Samantha Winters, M.B.A., LMFT