An Unlikely Friend

An Unlikely Friend

[Jesus said,] “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”

Matthew 5:44

“What are you working on?” I asked my seven-year-old daughter casually. She was perched at our kitchen island, art supplies tumbling over each other haphazardly as she dipped a paintbrush into vibrant watercolors. Leaning closer, I read the words on her picture: Merry Christmas, Emma! Love, Elise.

“You mean Emma from the bus?” I clarified, a bit alarmed. “As in, the Emma that’s not very nice to you?”

“Yep,” she said. “I thought she would like a picture.”

I complimented her on the butterflies she was painting in a rainbow pattern, but my thoughts were in turmoil. The previous month, I had held my daughter in my arms while she told me in a pained whisper that Emma, a second-grader, greeted her each day on the bus with a mocking tone and had made it a point to pick on her. Although Elise can present a stoic face to the world, she is sensitive and feels things deeply, and I knew she was bewildered by the ugly attention. I couldn’t help but think, Why would she want to give a drawing to someone who had been mean to her? Why would she expose herself to the risk of rejection or more ridicule? But, knowing that her mind was made up, I decided to pray over the situation and let it play out.

A week later, Elise bounded home after school to report how much Emma had liked her picture. “Emma told Daniel that she got it from her friend!” she said exuberantly, cheeks flushed from the cold and her excitement. Despite my doubts, she had managed to turn the little girl from a bully into a friend.

I was proud of her bravery and yet humbled by my own uncharitable thoughts. We’re called to show kindness even when people are unkind, to forgive others “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22), and even to pray for our enemies, but there are days when those seem like impossible feats. Yet sometimes, the only way to remedy a situation is to reach out to the other person, even when it’s hard or feels uncomfortable. Who knows? They may even become an unlikely friend.

—Kristin

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Go out of your way to be kind to someone who has been unkind to you.