"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Matthew 5:43-47 [NIV]
Do you have many enemies? There is a saying that “being friends means never having to say you’re sorry”. I don’t think this is wholly true, but if you should overlook an apology to a friend and they can’t forgive you – then perhaps they are not really behaving like a friend.
Sometimes I have been ungracious – I have not said “thank you” when I should. Of course, I am not happy to have my lack of grace pointed out to me – even if I can learn from this experience to make me more courteous in the future. I try to approach my enemies as if they were my friends (at least on the surface!). And, hard as it is, I will try to love them (not hating them is a good place to start).
Christmas is a time for peace and good will to all men. I pray that we can live up to it and think, “What would Jesus do?”
Dave MacLellan
(originally published in 2003)
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