Matthew 5:43-47 (NLT)
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
“Lukewarm people love others, but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.” (page 73)
This whole thing about “loving your enemies” was difficult for me to understand for a while. I’m like you, I have no enemies. Or at least, I make an effort not to have any on my end. But if you live and work and volunteer around people long enough, you may (if you're honest) develop “combative” feelings towards some people. For me this came several years ago when a particular individual entered our Arms of Mercy program. This guy (let’s call him Leonard because I don’t anyone by that name and that will protect the aforementioned name from being spilled) entered our program after having taken advantage of my generosity once before. He came into the program cocky, arrogant, and with a distaste for authority. On one occasion, he asked to use my phone (no-no number 1) to call someone to bring him something up there (no-no number 2). After I told him “no”, Leonard waited until I returned inside and walked over to a nearby pastor’s house and concocted a creative story that convinced the pastor to let him use the phone. An hour later, he had a visitor show up. He had gone behind my back (no-no number 3) and got his way anyway. Because I was still new to the whole servant-leadership thing, I called Major to inform him that I was about to murder one of the men so that he could handle it in his own unique way of doing things. I was rather surprised to see the guy the next day at my church (I assumed Major would have kicked him out). I was further surprised when I opened the door to greet him and was met with a mumbled string of expletives. As you might imagine, I kept a cool and collected on the outside but on the inside it was not so pretty. I had made my first enemy. I despised this dude. His arrogance grew worse and worse for several days. He all but refused to participate in Bible study. He continued mumbling things under his breath. He continued to manipulate the system. And he was winning because it was eating me up inwardly.
Until I poured out my heart to GOD. And he gave me the strength to not only forgive Leonard but love him. Even if I didn't care for his company much. GOD taught me to love everyone, even my enemies. Because often, it's those things I hate in my enemy that I struggle with the most personally. How’s that for humility?
P.S. Leonard and I patched up our differences and are now friends. Not close friends, but friends nonetheless.
Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read page 73 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski
