When someone does something cruel to us, it may seem impossible to love them back. Yet, this is what Jesus Christ instructed we must do. We must love our enemies, he taught.
This love he advocated was not a blind ignorance to the evil done. He was not telling us to love the evil. Evil is wrong. But we can love the person with such a spirit of unqualified blessing that the love we show may actually elevate that person’s thought to a higher level and cause him to cease committing his evil act.
A friend was recently telling me that she heard a sermon where the preacher said we have a choice to make when confronted with how to think about an evil-doer. We can either choose to be better or bitter. If we choose to resent, harbor rage and ill-will, we become bitter. But if we choose to love and not let rage take over our thinking, we can become better. We can grow in the strength of Love to maintain poise and composure over the situation. We can retain dominion rather than caving to bitterness which makes us weak.
So, choose to be better, not bitter!
Bless your enemies. Jesus demanded it. He prayed: Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Blessing and forgiving our enemies, that’s a tall order. Thanks, Evan, for the reminder that it is a commandment for followers of Christ. Time to read the Sermon on the Mount again!
I’ve often thought about this topic and for me this is where true courage and the real weapons (Divine Love) of our warfare with error come into our experience. Having failed miserably many times in this opportunity, I think I am finally getting it now and disassociating the evil that man would do (to me & others) from the man of God’s creating allowing me (all) to experience Divine justice, mercy and most of all forgiveness.
Thanks Evan. Yes I did learn the hard way to forgive the person but not the evil done. But the thing that isn’t completely fulfilled is that I can’t still talk or go near the person. Although I’ve learned so much by letting God govern over all. I am not giving up though. I know God will show me how to do what He wants me to do.
I am so grateful for your daily blogs.
One thing that must be pointed out that will help us to forgive a person that has done us wrong, and I am speaking from actual experience taken from the Nazi Concentration Camps of WW11. It is the suggestion of evil that tempts the person to accept the evil. It isn’t the person. So we forgive the person but not the suggestion. The Science Fiction story; “The Body Snatchers,” is a great example of this.
Keeping out thinking sweet instead of sour – whether these feelings are justified or not in our interactions with others – is most helpful for keeping ourselves healthy. A good attitude is forever essential for the benefit of our own well-being (believe it or not).
If a person treats us unfairly, this is their problem. However their problem can become our own problem if we respond back with our own form of darkness.
Christ’s teachings help us to overcome evil with sweetness of thought. And we’re to trust in the Lord with all of our might, I think.
That is so appropriate given the General Election in Britain, where voting is on Thursday. Thanks
Gary, I like your thinking! Thanks, Bill