Hard Words

²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Jesus brings some hard words to put into action and those found in Luke, Chapter 6, are particularly challenging. I mean, who does that?

I’m sorry to say that I sure didn’t at the Cross Country meet last Friday. I was standing at the top of a hill on the course. Here’s a shot from where I was standing.

This was the view I had as I was watching for Shocker runners. In my peripheral vision, I see a woman, probably a mother of one of the athletes, look at me and stand right in front of the camera. I found a narrow space to her left and she moves in front of me again.

Armed with her iPhone camera, she rotates leaving me no open avenue for a shot. Talking to myself but evidently loud enough for her to hear me, I said, “Get out of the way.” She puts her hands on her hips and mockingly with an attitude, said, “GET OUT OF THE WAAAYYY!

I missed two of our runners and I was wondering how badly my 70/200 mm lens would be damaged after bouncing off of her head. The only way I “blessed” her was by not taking such action. : ) We both turned and headed for the next spot which I made sure was a good distance from her.

People aren’t always going to play nice. Jesus certainly knew that to be true. And, there are a lot worse things that can happen to me other than someone getting in my way.

My only saving grace was that I did not return any words to her after her comment. I just walked away from the glaring stare.

Loving our enemies is not just an emotion but an active choice. It is choosing to offer grace to those who have wronged us, treating them with dignity even when they show us none. It is a love that reflects God’s heart—a love that is not conditional, but gracious, forgiving, and redemptive.

Prayer: Father, help us to respond to these difficult situations with your love and compassion. May we look beyond the offense and into the heart of the offender with your eyes of mercy and grace.