Wow it's been a long time since I wrote on here...sorry about that. Life and school and vacation got in the way. I'm super happy to be back, to be kicking off sophomore year with this piece I wrote after my youth pastor's sermon on Saturday night and my church pastor's sermon the following morning. I'm excited to get back into the habit of writing here, and allowing God to use me as He will. I'm keeping all my faithful readers (old and new alike) in prayer as this week progresses.
May this make you think,
Jen
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Okay, let's be serious for a second. I want you to think of an enemy of yours. Who has hurt you? Who has broken your trust? Who has betrayed you? Who has made you incredibly angry? Who has made you cry? Who can you not stand to be around? I want you to bring those one or two people to the forefront of your mind for this post. Even if you aren't a Christian, you've probably heard of the phrase "love your enemies" and if you're anything like me you would go "Well, how do we do that?"
So are you still thinking of those one or two people who have the ability to rip your heart out of your chest and tear it to pieces? Are they those ex-boyfriends or girlfriends, those old best friends, maybe your step family, maybe your mom, dad, or sibling? Sometimes it's those people closest to us, our families, BFFs, significant others, who have the time and ability to hurt us the most. And when we look at them, all that hurt and anger can come flooding back.
And we want to get even, right? We want to make the hurt go away, and I know that for me, when I think of loving my enemies I think, "Why on earth would God want me to love on this person when they have taken my heart and crushed it under their heel?"
But weren't we once those same people? Weren't we once His enemies? Weren't we once the people who just wrote off God, who cursed Him or denied His existence? And He loved us enough to die for us. When people ask why I love on those others, why I talk to those people who no one else would, the only response I can come up with is "Because God loved me first."
And that truly is the only thing that one can say. If one is asked "Why do you love this one?" and responds "Because I am commanded to.", that love they are showing becomes superficial. "I love you because I have to," is no love; that is reluctant obedience.
But when one can love their enemy, when one goes out of their way to give generously without asking for a return gift, when we serve those enemies of ours without holding back in our hearts, when we intentionally bless them with our hands, heart, and mouth, and when we pray for those enemies, when we go to God on their behalves, that is truly loving them. Just to think of all that, of what loving your enemies looks like, I can look on the cross with a whole new perspective. The life changing awe from the fact that He could love us so much that He died for us, even when we have done all that we did, just shocks me to the core.
Guys we are called to love radical lives, to live out this radical faith and love that Jesus gave us in His earthly life and on the cross. Practice what we preach. If we say we have received Jesus's love, His perfect love, and that He resides in our hearts, we need to show that. And part of this love that we have inside our hearts, this irrational love that goes beyond all things known, beyond all the old things under the sun, then loving our enemies is one of those first steps. It is tgee most irrational, inhuman, and unworldly thing to do is to turn the other cheek for them to slap, to love them even though they did what they have done, because God loved us even though we have done what we have. God loved us first. That is the whole reason why we have this love in our hearts, why the blinders are off and why we can see clearly. We may not live these perfect lives where everything we do is full of love and grace, in fact I'll tell you right now you won't, for we are a sinful and fallen man, an idea not too popular in the West, but our sinful and fallen nature has been removed from His sight. He does not see you as this person who has done this wrong against Him, He sees you as His child whom He adores and died for. That is the love we have been given. And so that is the love we must show.
So are you still thinking of those one or two people who have hurt you? Now just this week, can you do this? Can you serve them, be intentionally generous, not asking anything in return, can you bless them intentionally, can you pray for them not out of duty or obligation, but because of the mercy, love, and grace He has given to us, can you go to God on their behalf, asking for their well being. Just try it for one week and see the difference it will make in your life, in who you are as a Christian and a follower of God.
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