Loving Your Enemies

Loving Your Enemies

Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. . . . Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.

Luke 6:28, 38

There was a time when someone spread an untrue rumor about me, and my e-mail box was filled with horrible notes from the very young people that I was trying to serve. The matter got cleared up eventually, but I still remember the horrible feeling of wanting to defend myself, even though I knew I was in the right.

Thirty years ago the Amish were viewed as a backward sect living by oppressive customs and exploiting the labor of their children. Amish parents were sent to prison for not allowing their children to go to school beyond the elementary grades. They were viewed as a group that renounced both modern conveniences and the American dreams of progress. Thirty years ago national magazines described the Amish as a “dying breed.” Today they are featured in national magazines as hearty Americans. . . .

The Amish provide models of how modern people may choose to survive—physically, culturally, and spiritually. The fear on the part of modern parents that their children may join cult movements does not exist among the Amish. My personal files are bulging with inquiries from children, adults, and old people asking how to become Amish.

The hardest thing to do is to love those who curse you and to pray for those who hurt you, yet that’s what the Amish did. And the result? They are not only accepted by mainstream society but are also honored and valued. People vacation to see them, read books about them, and want to join them.

It’s a struggle to love those who we feel have disrespected us, but we’ll never know what good can come about until we do. God determines how we’ll be rewarded, and He always goes above and beyond what we expect.

Dear heavenly Father, I can’t love and forgive those who hurt me without Your help. I want to obey Your command. Please help me to do so.