I have enemies...

     I have enemies. There are certain people of Iraq who would slay me without much thought or perhaps with joy. As a soldier I did things that incurred long-lasting wrath. I have local enemies, those few I avoid; who wronged me somehow, who I hurt through negligence or self-centeredness. Anger and hatred these sore spots on my soul linger, a canker or blight on my nature. And speaking honestly, I fear I allot them space in the dark corners of my heart where they skulk, occasionally spewing out in an unreasonable response to some minor slight or transgression. They lurk there, slowly diming with the erosion of passing time and regenerative effects of the Holy Spirit. But these are pernicious weeds, always ready, always threatening a resurgence. Despite my long familiarity and comfort with these sinful emotions, I daily seek God’s blessing for my enemies.

     In many ways I do this in a self-congratulatory fashion, drawing comfort from complying with God’s injunction to pray for those who hate me. Each morning I mumble through this portion of my prayers with very little thought or care. Doing so generates a nice warm feeling of self-righteousness. Precious little in our culture encourages such behavior or any real attempt to excise these unabating sins. In our country we seem to fully embrace a culture that endorses hateful divisive speech and emotions. In all aspects of our lives messages that encourage us to demean our opponents bombard us. This black and white, love and hate, friend and enemy, outlook simplifies our lives. Either you think and act like me or you are the “other”, and as an “other” I’m free to disparage, demean, disregard, diminish, and despise you and those who bear any semblance to you. If you fall into the “other” category, you are an enemy and I need not give you serious consideration…or the time of day. Unfortunately, as Christians, this outlook slips in, almost unnoticed. Without realizing it, we often handle issues in the same way the world does. As I pray and mediate, this issue continually bubbles up, how do I learn to love my enemies?

     How do I learn to love those who malign, misrepresent me, of falsely accuse me? As I grapple with this issue, seeking some sort of resolution, a method of changing my heart and mind, I face a growing conviction that my viewpoint is wrong. I look at people as my enemies without considering how God looks at them. I want it to be okay to just “pray” for my enemies. You know the kind of prayer I’m talking about, a few quick words muttered in the early morning as we wait for the coffee to finish perking. In I John 4:7-21, John “the beloved” lays out the preeminence of love. In this rich passage full of grace and truth we find thee key nuggets; God first loved us, perfect love casts out fear, and when we abide in love we abide in God.

     The first illuminates my need to reorient my view. God love me first. He did not start loving me when I began to feebly love Him. This means He loves those I count as my enemies, no matter their spiritual state. He views them with the same love and concern He lavishes upon me. They are His children, my brothers and sisters. The second speaks to my comfort level.

     I find those who disagree with me disquieting. I often avoid them out of fear of confrontation. As long as I avoid them, I easily bin them in the category of enemy. Again, God pushes me out of my comfort zone by reminding me that His love gets rid of fear. I let my anger and hurt drive the quality and content of my relationships with those who might be the “other.” In fact, God’s love will not allow me to consider them the “other.” Indeed they are my brother or sister. The third speaks to my position.

     If I claim to be a Christ-follower, a Christian, I must abide in love. I have to learn to love the “other.” Hatred has no place in my view of others. God loves them and so must I. As long as I embrace the language of disrespect and encourage the demeaning of others I’m far from the Lord. I must learn how to engage the “others” in my life. God seeks them. He loves them with all His heart and calls me to do the same. This is hard for me as it requires patience. I’d much rather keep them far away, but God calls me to come over to where He and they are and engage in love. I fear that frequently I’m like the older brother in Luke 15, sitting outside fuming because the father loves that rotten scoundrel.  The story ends with the older brother outside, sitting on the stoop, refusing to love the “other.” And out in the cold, away from the party, is not where I want to be.