It seems funny to me now that as kids, when my 4 brothers and I were asked by curious friends how we all "got along" we would pull out an old stand-by phrase, "Well, I have to love him...but I don't have to like him." No doubt this phrase reflected immaturity on many levels...but was it true? I mean, is it wrong to not like someone with whom we do life and interact on a regular basis?
Does this strike you as odd that I would even ask this question? I mean shouldn't we all strive to like everyone we meet. I seem to recall the vaudeville comedian Will Rogers saying that he had never met a man that he "didn't like"...good for him. I have. Of course I could say that it is not really the "person" that I don't like, but rather "their words, actions and mannerisms". But in the end, that might just all be semantics. It could be that this or that specific individual is just not very likable. But all of that is guesswork.
What I know for sure is that I have preferences in terms of people's personalities, and everyone does not have equal footing in those particulars. Therefore I find the inquiry of this post relevant to me on a personal level. I wonder if it is relevant to readers as well. What I am getting at is this question: Are we in sin when we come to the end of it all and admit to ourselves that there are people that we simply do not like? The simple Biblical answer is "No."
I want to explain this in depth tomorrow...