It's the last day of the first week of school and I am beat. One would think that having a kid who is up early every day would leave me prepared for the early rise of school, but nope. I'm still absolutely wiped out.

When I get tired, I get a little cranky. Or a lot cranky. It isn't pretty.

Mother Teresa was credited with saying:

Do not think that love, in order to to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.

I know that actual tiredness from being busy isn't what she was talking about, but for me, it's a good reminder. It's easy to be loving when people are kind and loving to me first. It's easy to be loving when I'm in a good mood and feeling happy. It's easy to be loving when it's someone who thinks like me and acts like me.

But change the circumstances some? Someone who is more abrasive? Someone with whom I seriously disagree? At a time when I'm tired? Yeah, I don't always behave in a loving way then. Sometimes it's straight up unloving.

I definitely want to be known as someone who loves. And I think that sometimes I get it in my brain that the only way to be known that way is to do Big Things (tm) to prove that I'm loving. But this quote is a good reminder to me that the real measure isn't the big things, but rather to be consistent in my love. To love when it's not easy. To love when I'm tired.

When is it hard for you to love? What are small ways that you show love even when you're tired?