“Who do you find hard to love?” the teacher asked. Immediately, I thought of taxi drivers!
In South Africa, my home country, taxis are mostly 16-seater minibuses that transport people quickly and easily. A legacy of apartheid is that many black people did not own vehicles and are dependent on these taxis for their transport.
However, taxi drivers have their own driving rules. They aggressively cut in front of other vehicles, sometimes using the sidewalk to pass other cars.
So when the Christian teacher, Mr. Koeglenberg, asked this question, I did not have to ponder my answer. Mr. Koeglenberg explained how I could choose to love taxi drivers, by faith. He explained that I can believe that God can flood my heart with the love He has for others and choosing to see them through His eyes.
Over the next few weeks, every time I saw a taxi, I prayed for God to give me love for them. Amazingly, my aggression and irritation with taxi drivers soon turned into appreciation. I realized that their 16 passengers could have been 16 other vehicles on the road around me.
My heart was also filled with compassion for the drivers. They were not paid or treated well. Many people had a low opinion of them. As I started to love them by faith, I became sympathetic and friendly. I even smiled and waved where possible. Their shocked expressions turned into big smiles.
The principle of loving by faith has been life-changing. Not only did I learn to love taxi drivers and those hard to love, it also prepared me for living in another country.
In my new country, I am interacting with people who are so different from me with unfamiliar food, habits and sayings. It is easy to think they are weird. Yet, I can completely love and accept them with God’s help. It is a great gift to extend to someone, and so much more when they are from another culture or race.
Next Steps:
About the author: Marie Dell joined Campus Crusade for Christ in 1994. She and her husband Stefan served in the student and operational ministries of Cru in Africa. Marie works on the communications team of the president of Cru, Steve Douglass. She has a strong desire to see people from all nations learn about Jesus. Marie and Stefan have two children, Kenneth and Monica. In her spare time, Marie enjoys traveling, reading and knitting.
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