"It was then I began to see what Dostoevsky had learned in prison: the gospel of grace infiltrates this world not primarily through words and rational arguments but through deeds, through love. The people I was learning to admire most... were expressing their faith in action, incarnationally... To follow Jesus, I learned, does not mean to solve every human problem - Christ Himself did not attempt that - but rather to respond as He did, against all reason to dispense grace and love to those who deserve it least." - Philip Yancy, Soul SurvivorJesus said to love your enemies and to do good to those who persecute you (Luke 6:27). I think for most of my life I have taken that to mean: don't say out loud what I'm thinking, don't seek revenge, and don't harbor anger or bitterness. I think, however, doing only that falls far short of the mark.
I am realising that loving and doing good to people goes way beyond not doing mean things; it requires doing good things. So... how do you love an enemy? How do you do good to those who persecute you? Does it mean mowing their lawn when they're on holiday? Sharing your favourite chocolates with them? Making a cup of coffee for them?
I think it must be different for each person in any given situation. God told me to write a lullaby and I thought He was mad. Turns out I was the mad one, and singing lullabies helped diffuse that anger.
3 comments:
Gisela Yohannan writes about that very issue in Broken For A Purpose; not just tolerating our enemies or just saying, "Hi," to them, but actually showing love.
That sounds like a good book. I want to read it!
Sometimes, it also means arriving at work early to walk the cubicles and lay hands on each co-worker's desk and pray for them.
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