Dear Daughters,
We’ve all heard Jesus’ statement, Love your neighbor as yourself. Many of us are able to do that, depending on who our neighbor is – some cows in the neighboring field or some non-obnoxious people living next door. But when He says,
Love your enemies,
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you…
this brings human relationships up to a whole other level. In our world today, love for someone outside our tribe of opinion seems to have become a vanishing species. It is quite rare to hear about those who actually bless the people who are cursing them, or those who love their enemies. Turn on any news channel: the political Left blames the Right, the Right blames the Left and never the twain shall meet. We tend to unite with those who agree with us, and to a certain extent we should. But there are numerous times when we will be near those with whom we disagree. Jesus calls us to love those who hate us, not necessarily to become best friends with them, but treat them with dignity simply because they are made in the image of God.
Tensions were fiery high before Covid hit the scene, but now there are some who are willing to bring division in their own families instead of yielding their position on masks. There are others who are willing to divide or destroy churches instead of yielding their position on vaccines. I have many friends who have been vaccinated, and many who haven’t, but God loves the vaxxed and the unvaxxed and so will I.
When Jesus gives us a command such as Love your enemies and bless those who curse you…, He will also provide the circumstances by which we are to learn this important truth. No one is born loving their enemies, it is a fruit grown from the indwelling of the Spirit.
It’s easy to be a skeptic but quite difficult to love people. The world is full of cynics, there are many less lovers of people – those who speak kindness and honor instead of shame and judgement. Have you ever considered that maybe the people God brings into your life are there to refine the rough edges of our personality?
God uses the elements of fire and water to refine us, in order to transform our weaknesses into strengths, turn our hate and indifference into love.
Just as water can be used for good, it can also cause destruction. In my younger years I have laughed and played in the calm clear shallows of the Pacific Ocean, and yet I have heard stories of people in that same ocean who have been caught in a deadly, treacherous riptide. Water has the power to wash our clothes and irrigate our fields or wipe out entire cities with a single tsunami wave.
Sometimes people speak words to us that are like a cool refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day. Other times the words spoken to us hit with the strength of a hurricane – they degrade and make us feel like we are melting into a puddle on the floor. The words echo through our minds for years, ricocheting in our head so they appear to become the truth of who we are.
Fire also has its contradictions. It invites us to come closer when the weather is cold – a fire on the hearth gives us a promise of warmth, but get too close and it will burn. Controlled fires give comfort but uncontrolled wildfires will consume. A lit candle can give us light on our way, yet it can burn an entire forest and bring devastation and ashes in its wake.
The same can be felt with words that are warm and gentle, encouraging and uplifting. But when we spit out words of judgment and harsh criticism we harm and belittle those around us, burning up every ounce of stability that might have existed in their fragile world.
When those burning words come to dice us up, remember we are never alone. When an avalanche of icy words lands on your ears, remember Your God has redeemed you.
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
And the flame shall not consume you.
Isaiah 43:1-2
Notice that even before the water and fire are mentioned, the Lord says Fear not, for we have already been redeemed and called by name. Also, you see that the passing through water and fire is not an “if” possibility, but is distinctly a “when” occurrence. Lisa Bevere says,
As Isaiah penned it here, we know ahead of time that the water and fire courses of life are unavoidable and not necessarily the result of mistakes on our part.
When we go through relationships with difficult people (enemies who sometimes feel like fire and floods) we can remember that Jesus has never asked us to do anything He has not already done. He will be with you always, and you will not be consumed. He loved the people who whipped Him, spat on Him and nailed Him to the cross. Because He lives within us, we too have the power and the choice to love those who malign our reputations or mock our beliefs.
God will fight for you, you just have to be still. When others betray or harm you, let Jesus be your shield and speak words of love in return. Then you will shine like stars in the dark sky.
Love, Mom
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