“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children 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 own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48
God has really been teaching me to love those who are hard to love lately. Not necessarily enemies, just those individuals who have wronged me, hurt me, slandered me, etc. Our flesh often times wants us to respond in a tit-for-tat way, but God is really teaching me to just love and be kind regardless of how I've been treated. In situations where I really want to confront that person and ask them why they did __________ to me, God gently reminds me to just love them and be kind. If I love only those who love me in return, I'm just like the rest of the world. But to be a follower of Jesus means to love those who don't love me. While my heart often times isn't there yet, I am striving to obey and pray for God to change the temperature of my heart.
