In the Bible, Jesus tells us that we are to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. I learned an important lesson regarding that last night.
I was at a graduation ceremony for all my classmates yesterday in the early afternoon, so I was in an extremely good mood. My friend Rachel and I had had a sleepover, so I was tired, and sad that I wouldn't be seeing some of my friends for a very long time, but I was pretty happy for the most part.
My evening was spent at an open house, where most of my friends from my old campus would be. (Yet another reason to be in a good mood) I was having a wonderful time with them, when I looked up and saw a guy that...up until a short time ago, would have been someone I would describe as my arch enemy. I all but hated him. Imagine how far my pleasant mood plummeted.
Well that was fixed for a while when someone else (who shall remain nameless) arrived, but after that person left, I found myself trapped in a conversation with my ex-arch-nemesis.
Great.
What I found out is that since I've been gone, he's really changed, grown up, and matured. I found myself enjoying conversation with him, and we spent maybe an hour or two talking about everything teenagers talk about. (And attempting to avoid a very annoying boy who wouldn't stop talking about useless things and bragging on himself. Turns out this kid was actually following me...ugh!) So aside from that, I learned that maybe giving someone some time to grow, and then giving them a second chance is a really good way to go. It's a method I intend to apply to another girl who I dislike...a lot.
So God wasn't kidding when he told us to love our enemies. A year ago, I'd have avoided this guy like he was the plague. But because I chose to forgive his offenses toward me, trust that God had worked in him during the year, and give him another chance to be friends, I had a pleasant evening.
One thing you have to keep in mind, especially when dealing with people that have deeply wounded you in the past, is that it takes time to build trust. Don't just let them all the way back in all at once. That doesn't give you the time you need to heal from those wounds. It took me a year to be able to forgive this guy for how he hurt me. I saw a quote once that said, "Trust is like a paper...once it's crumpled, it will never be the same again." I believe this is true. No matter how much you learn to trust that person again, there will always be a tiny voice in the back of your mind reminding you how they hurt you in the past. Your job is to not let it control you. I suffered a lot of emotional trauma at the hands of this guy, but I'm willing to love him as Christ loved me. I'm willing to be kind, sincere, and amicable. That doesn't mean he's my new best friend, but it also doesn't mean that I'm going to continue avoiding him.
So think about how you can love those who hurt and persecute you. Think about how you can be kind to those who are mean and uncaring toward you. God didn't have to send his Son to die for your persecution of Him. He didn't have to atone for your blasphemy and rejection of Him. The point is that He did. It's up to you and I to take the love he's given to us and give it to other people. We can't love people on our own. It's not in us, and we can't give something we don't have. If there's someone in your life that you don't like or trust, ask God to give you the love you need so you can give it to them.
That's all for today. Thanks for reading my musings and mutterings...wait, no, I got that backwards...whatever. :P Hope you enjoyed it. Leave comments if you have questions or an idea for a post. Or feel free to private post me. :) God bless, and have a wonderful Sunday!
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