Enemy love is hard. It's easy for me to point to others who should be doing it, but it's hard when I'm staring my own enemies in the face. Did you ever get one of those aggressive emails that make you stomach sick? (Did you ever write one?) I got one of those this week. I want to rant and scream and complain, but I know what Jesus wants from me: to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me. So that's what I've got to try to do. If I'm going to take Jesus seriously, then I've got to take the whole thing seriously. Not just the parts that are easy for me. If I can't respond to an email with enemy love, then how could I respond to a slap in the face with enemy love? And it's not about being passive. Enemy love is active. It doesn't mean shutting up and avoiding the conflict. It means reaching out. It means making eye contact and standing courageously before your enemy and then offering the offer cheek, so he can see the humanity of the person he's about to strike. ( I learned that from Shane Claiborne, who probably learned it from someone else.)
Man, this Jesus guy is tough : )
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