You Can't Escape Loving Your Enemies

Love your enemies and do good to them. - Luke 6:35

We need all kinds of wisdom around what kinds of conflicts to avoid, when to pause a conflict, and how to do conflict well. The one thing that’s non-negotiable is Jesus’s radical call to love those with whom we are in conflict.

Love means not insulting them, dehumanizing them, or refusing to acknowledge the imago dei in them. Of course, it can mean calling out the best in them, challenging them to speak truthfully, and holding them to honor agreements made together.

But at it’s core, when there’s that low-grade simmering anger, that unwillingness to forgive (not necessarily to reconcile - that takes both parties), or that unacknowledged desire for revenge, that’s when we know we’ve got more work to do. Jesus calls us to a higher plain - because of his great love for us. He calls us to be better lovers of others, including our enemies.

Take a few minutes and quietly, just to yourself and Jesus, name off a few people who just might qualify as enemies for you. See if you are in the space yet to ask Jesus to bless them, heal them, and guide them - if so, then do it. If not, tell Jesus honestly that there’s been too much hurt or distrust or damage and ask for the grace for your heart to heal to the point of being able to forgive.