"But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;"
Not many commandments are harder, in my opinion, to keep than "love your enemies." It's pretty easy to love people who love us back--people who say nice things to us and treat us kindly. It's so much harder to love those who persecute us, tease us, use us, hurt us, and hate us. I think one of the keys to being able to live this commandment, though, is in this verse of scripture: pray for them. It's hard to pray for someone and not have your heart softened a little toward them. I find that when I pray for someone, I kind of start to see them as Jesus sees them, as a child of God, and I find it easier to forgive. When I'm mad at someone who has hurt me, if I pray for them, Heavenly Father blesses me with the extra measure of forgiveness and compassion that I need to let go of the anger in my heart and to love them despite their flaws or their wrongs against me. Try this today. Pray for someone who has hurt you or used you. Pray to love them and to see them as God sees them. It doesn't always happen right away, but as we pray for our enemies, and as we let go of the hate and anger in our hearts, there will be more room in there for God's love to take its place.
Love,
Sister Jones
1 comment:
I love this scripture! Reading it today really made me think about someone I have been having ill feelings toward and to think of them in a different light. They need me to pray for them and by doing so I also am benefiting. I am able to see them in a different way.
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