Written by Uli Chi, a contemporary entrepreneur, advisor, lecturer, and author.
One of the first things we need to get right about how to love our enemies is the story we tell ourselves about them. Jesus’ command in the Sermon on the Mount raises the stakes that our enemies are really our neighbors. If that’s so, then shouldn’t we treat our enemies as human beings like ourselves, rather than as some kind of subhuman version of ourselves? Even when our neighbor/enemy behaves badly, what might it mean for us that they are nevertheless created in the image of God? And what might it mean to love our enemies as an expression of our love for God? These are difficult questions that those of us who seek to follow Jesus have wrestled with for millennia. Our ongoing struggle likely reveals our profound need for God’s grace and mercy—and wisdom… First, be curious about your enemies. Someone once said that the first casualty of war is the truth. I suspect that’s often the case for how we see our enemies. We reduce their humanity to a mere caricature. We stop trying to understand what makes them tick and why. Of course, we don’t have to agree with them. But we should grant our enemies the dignity of being made in the image of the God we claim to serve deserves… Second, learn to look for the positive. This is hard to do. And the difficulty is proportional to how strongly we disagree with someone or oppose their position. But as hard as it is, focusing on the good on which we can agree or affirm is always helpful… Third, be honest about the negative …Jesus wants us to love our enemies, even when they are patently “ungrateful and wicked.” And that means we don’t have to pretend they are being good when they are not. Whether or how we might confront our enemies in those situations requires additional discernment. But one thing is clear. We can always bring our frustration, anger, and even hatred into God’s presence and ask for help, particularly when we need insight and skill on how to deal with our enemies constructively lest we become like them. All this reminds us of our need for wisdom. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is his distilled wisdom that helps us to understand who we are and how we are to live in the world. And it suggests that such wisdom is not something we “master” but one which is discovered on a journey with other people and with God.
Prayer:
Written by Emilie Griffin (1936-2022 ), American author about living the spiritual life.
Dear God, help me to trust in the power of your Incarnate Word even when I do not see the way. Let me not second-guess you. Let me not put my wisdom above yours. Let me believe, Lord, that evil is overcome by your grace. And show me how to forgive my enemies, as Jesus did. Teach me to trust in the Incarnation of Christ Jesus, who comes to transform our fallen world. Amen.
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