Redemptive Love… and Yes, I’m Talking to You

🎙️ Podcast Episode: “Redemptive Love… and Yes, I’m Talking to You”

By Kateb Shunnar

HOST (me):

What’s up, family? Welcome back to the show where we talk real life, real love, and sometimes real uncomfortable truths… but hey, somebody’s gotta do it. I’m your host, Kateb here to stir your heart and maybe your sense of humor.

Today’s topic: Redemptive Love. And no, it’s not the name of a 90’s R&B group though it should be. I’m talking about the love The Creator has for us… and the love we’re supposed to have for each other.

Alright, let’s open the phone lines first caller, you’re on the air.

CALLER #1:

Hey Kateb, I get the whole “love your neighbor” thing, but have you met my neighbor?

HOST:

Listen, if loving people was only about loving the easy ones, I’d be done in about four minutes. Redemptive love isn’t “I love you because you’re easy to love.” It’s “I love you even though you make me wanna pray in tongues just to keep my sanity.”

And family, that’s the Creator’s brand. Selfless. Sacrificial. No fine print. No “love expires after three offenses.”

CALLER #2 (laughing):

So you’re saying it’s stronger than wet toilet tissue?

HOST:

Ohhh, thank you for bringing that up! See, our society’s love right now? Yeah… as strong as wet toilet tissue trying to hold up a bottle of water. Looks okay until life drips on it then it falls apart faster than your New Year’s resolutions.

Redemptive love is the opposite. It’s the kind that rolls up its sleeves, sees your mess, and says, “We’re gonna fix this.”

CALLER #3:

Okay, but some people are really hard to forgive.

HOST:

Amen to that. But here’s the deal holding onto a grudge is like microwaving fish in the break room. You think it’s just affecting you, but now the whole room stinks. Redemptive love says, “I could judge you, but I’d rather cover you. I could walk away, but I’d rather help you stand.”

Let me tell you ... you can’t claim to love the Creator, who you’ve never seen, if you can’t love the people you do see. That’s like saying you love music but can’t stand sound.

CALLER #4 (mock offended):

So you’re saying I’m a hypocrite?

HOST:

O' no we lost the caller ... Let me tell you If the shoe fits, lace it up and wear it to the truth parade, my friend. Listen, I’m not pointing fingers at just you I’m pointing at me too. We all fall short here. But if the Creator can look at us with our messy pasts, our stubborn habits, our “Oops, I did it again” moments and still love us? Then yeah… we can love that coworker who chews too loud.

Family, redemptive love is mercy over judgment, forgiveness over petty revenge, and transformation over tolerance. It’s not just “I accept you as you are,” it’s “I’m walking with you into who you can be.”

So here’s your challenge for the week: love somebody who doesn’t “deserve” it. Not because they’re good but because you’re growing.

This is Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar signing off. Keep your hearts open, your grudges short, and for goodness’ sake keep your love stronger than wet toilet tissue. Until next time, family peace and real love.

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Author’s Note

Okay, friends, let’s just settle this once and for all let the Creator lead your life, not people. I mean, if you’re letting other folks drive your life, you’re probably gonna end up in a ditch eating gas station nachos wondering where it all went wrong.

Love the real kind, not the kind you see in those over-the-top rom-coms is steady. It’s patient, it’s kind, and it doesn’t bail when things get messy. It’s the kind of love that says, ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ even when the storm clouds roll in. It believes the best about people, not because it’s gullible or wearing rose-colored glasses, but because it chooses to see the good.

This love hopes in the middle of chaos, bears the heavy stuff without falling apart, and endures like an old vinyl record that somehow still plays after years of scratches. It’s not about being naïve it’s about looking for light in the dark and leaning toward redemption, even when the easy thing would be to give up. And here’s the thing… that kind of love? You can’t fake it. You have to live it.

Love

Kateb Shunnar