How Do I Love My Enemies?

I don't know if this is a prayer, a complaint, a "sermon," an article, or what this is. Maybe I'm just talking...maybe just to myself.  I hope this relates to you.  If you have it figured out, let me know how!

The picture above has quotes and paraphrases from scripture - direct from the words of Jesus.  Is he serious?  I'm supposed to love my enemies? He wants me to do good to those who hate me? Jesus tells me to bless those who curse me?  And to top it off, I'm supposed to pray for those who mistreat me?

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'm a pastor. I "have it all figured out." Well, the truth is - I'm far from it.  Oh, I WANT to be there - I WANT to be able to do these things. I can SOMETIMES do these things. But it's so dang hard to do it willingly.

Who are my enemies? Well, there are those who are far away - people I'll probably never meet - political enemies? Is that the correct word? ISIS (or is it ISIL? IS? you know who I mean), I write enough about Rwanda's Dictator, Paul Kagame and get harassed personally by his paid trolls...I guess he's technically a political enemy.  What about different groups who may not hate me personally but hate my views? They hate Christians (not disagree, but hate - wish death upon me...or at least people like me).  There are people who hate Americans (again, not disagree but hate).  I suppose all of those, and some more that I can't think of right now are my "enemies."

I guess I have more enemies.  That person who cut me off on the highway the other day.  I didn't have pleasant thoughts about him or her (I didn't get a good view of anything but the person's bumper to know if the person was a he or she).  I didn't wish death upon the person, but I had some choice words - from inside my car. Thankfully I kept the gestures to just my mind. There are some people from when I was a kid that I haven't reconciled with. I have no idea where they are now. I don't know how much was my fault and how much was theirs. I suppose it doesn't matter at this point. But, like the 2 Koreas - we are technically enemies...I guess. Maybe I'm overanalyzing.

Some people just plain don't like me. Our personalities clash. I have problems with other people. I don't know if I don't like them or not - maybe it's unfair to say that others don't like me - maybe I should just leave it as our personalities clash.  There are people I'm close with and we have arguments - sometimes bitter.  Does that make that person my enemy? Maybe for that time. What about the people who have hurt me and haven't apologized? Some of them don't even know. It's been years for some. Why should I hold it against them if they don't know? Did they do it on purpose? Maybe, Maybe Not. But maybe they've changed from who they were then to who they are now.  We're all changing everyday.

Honestly, I didn't set out to plan how I would write this. Is this "stream of consciousness" writing? But I think I'm onto something. We're all changing everyday.  If our God is real - and I'm convinced that is the case - Then loving my enemies is a process, not an instantaneous reality.

Salvation is a lifelong work of God through Christ. The question, "Are you saved?" makes me uncomfortable.  The better question is, "Are you justified." Or, in more common terms, "Have you allowed Christ to forgive your sins?"  From that moment, we are BEING saved.

Yeah, we're saved from our sins in a moment, but we're saved from so many other things all of our life.  For me, maybe I'm being saved from myself.  But that's another long story.

How do I love my enemies? I don't have the full answer. But I suppose I can  pray for them. At least in my life, prayer has led to many life changing realizations and changes. God isn't done with me. God isn't done with any of us. Do I love my enemies? I don't know. Can I love my enemies. With God's help, I'm sure the answer is, "Yes."

A Prayer For Our Enemies

God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
     We confess that in times of tragedy we do not want to love our enemies.  We do not want to grant them mercy. We do not want to acknowledge that You created them in the same way that You created us.
     We are unwilling to accept that you love them in the same way that you love us.  We want them to be judged more harshly by You than You would judge us.
     As humans, we have confused and perverted the words "justice" and "revenge." We want revenge; we don't seek justice.
     We want revenge: We want to be God - We want to be You. We want to make the ultimate decisions of others' fates. We think we know what should be done.  They hurt us and the ones we love, after all.
     You seek justice. You seek that the wrongdoers face consequences for their actions by other humans but that those consequences not be doled out in revenge.  You are the only one capable of revenge because only You know the entire story.

     We can take comfort that you also know our pain. You know that we live in a broken world. You know that seeking revenge is more common than seeking justice, but you give us a higher calling.  You've called us to live in your son's image and into His example through the power of the Holy Spirit.
     Empower us to not only tolerate our enemies but to pray for them and to love them.  Yes, God, I did say love.  Even I do not want to love my enemies, but I pray that you guide me in a direction to where I will want to love them.
     Our enemies have done terrible things.  But we are only to carry out justice; not revenge.
     When our hearts are hardened with thoughts of revenge, we pray for a softening that will lead us to turn to You and put judgement back in your hands.  When hate fills our minds, we pray for love.  For only in love are we freed from fear.  And fear is the ultimate enemy that tortures us and causes us to hate and seek revenge.
     We ask all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ who with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever. Amen!