.
I got up out of bed because I couldn't sleep.
It was a lovely night, the moon was full and everything was silver outside.
I happened to look out our lounge room window, and there on the leaves under a tree was a very strange sight.
My mother cat, Fluffy Dax, was entertaining a visitor.
A strange animal was eating the grain I often put out at night, just for any creature who is hungry or our pidgeons.
Fluffy was sitting quite close to the animal, who was ignoring her and chewing away happily.
He was bigger than the cat, with sandy coloured fur.
It was a long-nosed bandicoot.
I have seen him on our property a number of times.
The two friends were so comfortable together, and I guess they had kept company often late at night.

Kids can make friends with others who are not the same as them.
Other children can seem strange sometimes.
They might have different clothes to yours.
Their skin may be a different colour.
Their talk might be strange, or have a weird sound.
But underneath we are the same.
We can make friends with any kid, and we should learn to love them -
even those who are not as nice as we might like them to be.
Maybe they are hurt inside.
Be careful of bullies though, and those who might lead you into bad ways.
Wherever we see real love, that is of God.
God says if we don't have love we are nothing!
(I Corinthians 13).

God's love is not like the fake love we see in television films.
It is pure and unselfish.

We can be all shut up in ourselves, never letting anyone see the real "me."
Love is about opening up in love to other persons.
This can be a risky business, because a lot of people today are out for number one, themselves.
Jesus Christ is our example, he gave, and gave in love towards even ourselves,
we who are sinners.
He showed us what finally matters in life.
He showed us that if we aren't loving we aren't living.
It is more blessed to give love than receive it, by the way.
That means we are made happy and fulfilled ourselves when we GIVE love to others. Selfishness, self-love, unkindness and a "I couldn't care less" attitude causes those who act that way to self-destruct!
The wicked world says "learn to love yourself" -
the Bible says, "love one another for love is of God."
The world spirit is selfish to the core!

The love the Bible is talking about is not a lustful emotion.
It is not mushy, sentimental tripe!
It is not a love that rejects some people as just being too ugly or stupid or unpopular to deserve our kindness.
Love loves the unloving and unlovely - and doesn't need emotion to make it act.
The lack of love for others is what is wrong, basically, with our world.

Read I Corinthians 13, it is called the love passage.
Your Bible might say "charity" this is a word for "love."