A Lenten Reflection Loving thy enemy.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." Jesus speaking in Matthew 5:43-45

When I talk to people about Bible verses that hang them up, this is one of those commandments that always comes up. Loving thy enemy.

"How am I supposed to love her? She's so mean to me!"

"How can I love that jerk? He goes out of his way to be an ass everyday at work!"

"How can I love that family member? They've always put me down."

Sometimes it delves deeper than hurt feelings or injured work relations.

"But I can't love them, they abused me."

And sometimes it becomes an issue in the larger world...

"I can't love someone from ISIS, they're doing such horrible things....crucifying people, raping women, beheading men, killing children. How can we love them...God's asking too much."

We often feel like that, don't we? That God is asking too much of us. That He can't really expect us to have love for the mean girl in school, the cruel jock who bullies, the snide co-worker, the tormenting family member, the abusive one....the murdering one. That's just too much. We're not saints, after all.

But we're called to be saints. We're called, if you read the chapter further, to be "perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." We're called to go the harder mile, to be the bigger person.

Sometimes that just means bearing and grinning it at someone's snide remarks, and praying for them quietly. I know someone who was changed after a year of being snide to a completely different person because they were greeted with kindness after each snide remark. Sometimes...doing the kind thing, as the Apostle Paul suggests, does work. "On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." (Romans 12:20)

Is that hard to do? Yes. But coals of kindness and love can work miracles. It goes against our nature, but if we try to show Christ's love to someone, it can work wonders.

Sometimes, especially in cases of mental and physical abuse, we have to love our enemies from afar. We can still show love though, by earnestly and with heartfelt devotion, lifting the abuser up to God in prayer. Asking Him to work on them, heal them, to change their hearts.

And on a world stage, with a group such as ISIS, prayer is the key. I read of a church that someone got the names of some members of Al-Qaeda, and each week the members of the Church were given a name to pray over nightly. WOW, that hit me. If God turned Saul into Paul, we need to be praying for the persecutors of our Christian brethren that such a miracle might occur there too. We need to be praying for God to change their hearts, for the Holy Spirit to kick them into repentance, and for God to do a mighty work! For....those terrorists...are made in the image of God too, and we need to pray that they can feel Christ's love.

I spent quite some time this morning thinking about enemies.

And I came to a sobering conclusion....

Often my worst enemy....is myself.

How often do I know God's word and not heed it as I should? How often do I know the limits of what my health can take, and push it anyway? How often do I let myself get wrapped up in needless strife when there is so much joy to be had?

How often do I sabotage myself?

How often do I give into the depression and the melancholy and let myself slide downward into a dark place? How often do I let myself forget how loved I am by God, by Christ who died for me, by my husband who cherishes me, by my family and friends? How often do I buy into the lie that I have no worth?

Too often.

And when I am my own worst enemy, I need to remember to love myself. To bring myself before God and repent of believing the lies and whispers of the adversary. I need to remember that I am adored by God, and loved by family and friends. That I matter and have worth. I need to bind myself even tighter to the Holy Scriptures and obey them, even when I am feeling down, or stubborn, or angry or self centered. I need to remember to take care of my health...God will call me home when He is ready, but I don't need to hit the express lane anytime soon. And I need to remember than meaningless strife is just that....meaningless, and to keep my focus on that which is good, and noble, pure and holy.

I need to remember to treat myself as someone I love.

Who are your enemies? Are they around you...or can you, like me, be your own worst enemy?

Who will you reach out to in love today, even if it is only by prayer?

Be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing unto someone else,
-Beth Haynes Butler