Can I really love my enemies?

People can be mean.  I think back to when I used to ride the bus to school every day. I remember one girl that would just pick on about everyone. She was an older student and she sure was mean.  She used to pick on this one girl by pulling on her hair and calling her “shrimp”.  It got so bad that she even made this other girl cry.  There are some people like this girl that are just plain mean.  So the question is with all the mean people that we meet at school, at the mall, or even on the bus, is it really possible to love those who are mean to us?

I think the answer is “yes”.  The Bible says in Matthew 5:44 – “But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you.”   How do we do that? How do we muster up love for people who are mean and don’t treat others with respect? The Bible says in Romans 5:5 that the love of God has been placed into our hearts (NIV). So yes, God tells us to love our enemies which can seem hard, but he gives us the love to do it with.

So, that bully you ride the bus with everyday, or the person that books you in the hall, the people in your life that seem to be too hard to love, you can love them. Why? Because you don’t have to love them with your own love. You love them with the love that God has placed into your heart. So remember that when loving mean people gets hard, you’re not doing it alone. The love of God has been placed in your heart. You’ve got all the love you need to love your enemies.

Pray: God, thank you for placing your love in my heart. I thank you that with that love I can love those who are mean and unloveable. I ask you to help me to love others and know that with your help I can love my enemies.

Listen: Love, Love, Love by sidewalk prophets