Jesus once said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies...”
When we become angry at someone, it is extremely hard to love them, and loathing stirs up conflict. As difficult as it is, we must learn to love at all times as true love will conquer all offences.
The better person
When someone has wronged us and we despise them for it, we are in effect no better then them. Treating them the same way as they treated us, isn’t going to solve anything.
I want to tell you this story…..
To gain acceptance into a gang, a young teenage boy murdered a lady’s son. At the trial, the mother of the victim sat impassive and silent. When the trail finished, and the murderer was being taken away, she then stood slowly, looked the boy in the eyes, and said to him, “I am going to kill you!”
It was quite some time later, but the mother went to see her son’s killer in jail. She continued to visit him every few months, talking with him and giving him money for cigarettes. She came to know this boy who had become a killer.
The boy had no family and was living by his wits on the streets before he committed his terrible crime.
Eventually it came time to when the boy, who was now a young man, could be released on parole. The woman was speaking with him and asked this question.
“What are you planning on doing when you get out?” she asked.
“I have no idea.” was his reply.
Her remarkable answer was this, “I have a friend who owns a store, maybe I can get you a job there.’
‘Where are you going to stay?” was her next question.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
Her even more remarkable response, “I have a spare room at my house, you can stay with me,” she said.
It was months later when the women sat down and again looked the young man in the eyes, and asked, “Do you remember that day in court? I said that I would kill you?”
“Yes, I will never forget that day,” he said.
“Well I did want to kill you that day. I didn’t want the boy who murdered my son to live on this earth anymore. But something happened. It became my calling to find the boy trapped inside a killer. And that is why I set about liberating you, bringing you things, giving you a job, letting you live with me. You’re now a new person. That old boy is gone. But I still don't have my son. I wanted to know if you would stay here with me and be my son?”
With tears flowing down the young man’s face, he answered, “yes.”
This woman became the mother of her son’s killer, becoming the mother he had never had. Without her kindness and love towards this boy, who would know what could have happened to him.
Out of context
We don’t know what people go through. We don’t know what pain or suffering they have had to face to react the way they did.
In the story above, the boy who killed the woman’s son had no family, he was alone on the streets, desperately looking for a way to survive, to be accepted, searching for someone to love him.
Imagine in school the person next to us takes a pen without asking. We simply ask, “why did you take my pen?” and when they don’t answer, we demand again. Eventually this can lead to a big argument just because this person took a pen without asking. But what we didn’t know was that this person had been in a huge fight with their parents that morning, and in the aftermath had left stationary and assignments behind. Taking a pen and hoping to go unnoticed was just to get through the day.
Pain can bring people to do things they would never imagine themselves doing.
Forgive
We can’t love someone unless we forgive them. We must learn to forgive those who have hurt us and let go of the pain so we can move forward.
Holding grudges against people only hurts us, not them. So do yourself a favour and forgive those who have wronged you.
Gospeltractandbible.com puts it like this, “Hating someone, holding an offense, or harboring a grudge causes many negative effects. The person who allows such attitudes in his life becomes joyless and sour. His health suffers, as do his relationships.
When we don't forgive others, it brings about a bondage to our souls that could be compared to being enslaved by people or bound by a substance addiction. Often this unforgiveness causes a bitterness that claims us from the inside out. It locks in sorrow, anger and strife; it locks out joy, love and fellowship. This bitterness is a result of a proud spirit that seeks to keep score and gain revenge for perceived and real wrongs. If we refuse to release our offended feelings, they will eventually control us.”
Conclusion
Learning to love our enemies is one of the greatest things we can do. It helps us to move forward and live our lives in freedom.
To love someone who has hurt us, we must become the better person, truly forgiving that individual, and understanding that there is usually a reason behind what has happened.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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why did I have to read this,now I can't stop crying