bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those who
persecute you”.
Matthew 5:44
If we had our way, we would kill the killers in this
country, those who sexually exploit children, those who commit acts of violence,
all those who spew racist hatred and everyone who hurts people for no reason.
I remember in my JSS2, where these two boys in my class were
my arch enemies. I hated them because they bullied me, made life miserable for
me, threatened me, and constantly made me unhappy with their piercing words of
jest. I wanted so badly to retaliate. Every time their torture started, I would
wish I could do something to just end their existence on the spot and have my
peace of mind because I mean, what did I do so wrong to deserve all that
bullying?
Like every other person who had or has an enemy, there is a
fresh rage that springs up in you every time you think of them. If we had our
way, we would get back at every single person who back-stabbed us, lied against
us, cheated us, hurt us emotionally, or hurt someone dear to us. We just want
to snuff out life from them so badly, and that’s the thing.
Hate consumes the hater, and not the hated. I was there
hating on them when they had no idea I hated on them that much. I was carrying
so much bitterness inside and that toxin was affecting ME, NOT THEM.
Carrying hate on your inside, they say, is like drinking
poison, and expecting it to harm someone else. That’s an illusion, you are only
hurting yourself. Love your enemies, because hating them is an emotion that
eats you up. Many times, they never get a chance to know how much they actually
hurt you.
There can be no love without forgiveness. Forgive sets you
free from being bound in your past. The hurt might have been so deep, and oh, I
know it can be really hard, but you can let it go today. Forgive them even as
your heavenly Father has forgiven you. Let God do the revenge, he says we
should leave vengeance to him. The boys who bullied me eventually got expelled
from the school, much to my surprise. I didn’t know the moment I left it in God’s
hand that he was going to show up for me.
Love your enemies through good deeds and prayers. That way,
you are heaping hot coals on their head. Many times, I have seen people come to
Christ and surrender out of the guilt of been loved by those they have hurt so
badly. God loves all of us by being good to us even though we don’t deserve it.
Jesus asks us to do the same. Whether it’s something as simple as a courteous
greeting, a smile at them or even helping them, we need to reflect God’s love by
being good to our enemies.
In addition to doing good, we must pray for those
who persecute us. The best prayer request will be for their salvation. If they
are Christians, the best prayer request will be for their walk with God.
We must love our enemies through good deeds, through prayer,
and through allowing God alone to avenge the wrongs done to us – all through
the grace of God and for the glory of God.
Do we know any other ways to love our enemies? Let’s feel
free to share!
Get in touch with me at ajaregina33@gmail.com
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