Loving Your Enemy and the Family of God

When I was a kid, I had a mortal enemy.  His name was Jeremy.  Jeremy lived next door and proved to be a formidable foe.  He stole my bike, broke my toys, ratted me out to my parents, and even beat me up once.  Many times, I shook my fist in the air and thought, “You’ll get yours Jeremy.  You’ll…get…yours!”   I behaved very badly, doing everything I could to make sure Jeremy got his.

When I turned eight, my family moved away and I thought I was rid of Jeremy.  But, years later, he began dating my cousin.  They married and had a little boy.  Years after that, their boy served as the ring bearer in my wedding.  All said and done, my nemesis had become a shirttail relative!

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells His people to love their enemies.  I wish I had known that as a kid.  Loving Jeremy (instead of hating Jeremy) would have made things a lot less awkward when we became kin.  I wouldn’t have to apologize for all the bad behavior.

While that is a funny coincidence, there is a lesson there.  It is this: love your enemies...because Jesus Christ is inviting your enemies into the family of God.  Your enemies could very well become members of the faith.  When they do, you could spend an eternity seated right next to them at a heavenly banquet.  You might save yourself an awkward moment then, by loving them now.

As you go through the coming week, take time to love your enemies.  Pray for those who have wronged you.  Forgive those who aren’t asking for forgiveness.  Be gracious with those who hurt you.  As you do, you won’t waste time shaking your fist in the air, thinking, “You’ll get yours.”  You may just be mending a relationship with a future family member!