We
all know Jesus’ famous teaching to love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you. It’s the first one we remember, but probably the first one we
forget. Most of us are probably off the hook in America though, as real enemies
are thankfully hard to come by. Moldova can be a different story…
On the way home
from Ungheni, we saw a woman who could definitely be considered an enemy of
someone at our church. Needless to say, she has been “persecuting” this person
and the church in some shocking ways (I will keep them unspoken for privacy
sake), causing some serious tension in the community. It would have been so
easy to keep driving as if we never saw her, but our friend (the person with
whom this woman has particular problems) that was driving pulled up to her and
told us to pray for her as we drove her home.
As she got in
the car, he was genuinely warm and friendly with her, greeting her with Christ’s
love and refusing to be held captive by her hatred. As I prayed for her, our
friend put on some Romanian Christian music, and I began to feel a change in
the atmosphere of the van. As I peered out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed
a few tears trickling down the lady’s face. Fighting to hide it with all her
might, these silent tears were the only visible sign of the Armageddon of
emotions that I could sense were tumbling around inside of her. It took every ounce
of focus within her to resist the onslaught of love that God was throwing at
her through our friend’s faithful obedience to this simple teaching (Matthew
5:44). Even though our friend refused to take her tip for driving her, she threw
it at him in anger and ran off, apparently overwhelmed by her fight against God’s
love and unable to express anything else but anger at this point.
This may not be
that enlightening of a story, but the standard it sets for how we treat those
around us, especially those that stand opposed to us, is impeccable, solely
because it transposes Jesus’ standard to modern life. No one needs me to
conclude this blog with a call to love your enemies; you all know that, you’ve
heard it before. Nevertheless, I ask that you think about what “love” is. It’s
an action, not a passive feeling you keep to yourself. Just because you don’t
seek revenge on enemies, and even though you don’t say or express anything
negative to people you are not on good terms with, this isn’t “loving” them. Even
if you do pray for them in your own privacy, try “giving them a ride” next time
you see them. Force them to face up to God’s love through your soul-invested
actions. It could change his/her life. It could change yours.
