Read: Matthew 5: 43-48

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Reflect:
Over the last couple of weeks I spoke with one of my closest friends about a situation where my friend was wronged.  Without a reason, another person spewed some hurtful comments, to put it mildly.

Now, how do we respond to such vitriol? Take a breath and consider what Jesus said….”Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Easy to say, harder to live, but  that is exactly what He practiced as He prayed for those who brought about the crucifixion.

Respond:

Most of us have trouble with the “love your enemies” portion of the equation because we ignore the second part of the sentence.  My advice to my friend is to sincerely pray for the other person and then see how God may transform the pain.

Maybe I should practice what I preach.