The Love for an Enemy

As followers of God, we can tend to believe that God is more on our side than He is for the next person. Now this is really difficult terrain that I am potentially walking in, and most of what I am thinking about will never be answered fully on earth. However, there may be something precious for us through what Christ has been speaking.

When we think about those that have hurt us, those that have scarred us, those that have taken our dignity - we pray for a God to vindicate us in the fullest form. We ask God to justify us. We ask God to maybe even punish those that have ruined us. Afterall, God loves us right?! He will do good to us. He won't allow our enemies to have footing in our lives. He has to grant us justice!..right?

Our zero sum economy and understanding of justice is so skewed. I do not trust my internal "equality barometer," because equality and fairness when it comes to our own heart is more subjective than who the best rapper is in music (Lupe Fiasco..ahem). You can want God to come to your aid. You can want God to take care of your most painful areas in conjunction to another person. You can pray with all your might for God to esteem you when your enemy has been so cruel - and then....

And then you realize that the same passionate God is passionately in love with the person you hate the most. You realize that the God of the universe somehow loves the worst, just as much as He loves the best - why you of course. You realize that His story of redemption was not written with you as the center, and the other lowly humans circling your orbit. What does it mean to live with this substance in your being? What does it mean to be a part of this bigger story of redemption? What does it mean to seperate yourself from all the emotions, mental monologues, and thoughts of rage?

I find that when I call on God to justify me in a certain area and with certain people, He never responds to my immediate desires. He's God for crying out loud, and He loves me. Why would He hand me cheap satisfaction? What kind of idiot am I to even think this?! Sometimes His response takes years - but the delay was the best option. It was the best way to not only redeem me, but the entire situation. It changed all parties. It no longer became about vindication - it became about love, truth, mercy, justice, forgiveness, real completion, and absolute joy. We need to become a people who track with the larger work. We need to be disciplined enough to be at the mercy of God's calling on our lives. We cannot be swayed. We cannot be so pathetic. We must trump the laws of this world through supernatural power - through supernatural grace.

I don't want to be a sounding board for your gripes with people. I will be a sounding board for your desire for God, and how you desire more of His presence. Yes - there are times when you need to be upset and extremely upset..and rightfully so - but be conscious that it is all temporary - so incredibly temporary.

"Only God is great, only God is great / And everyone else will always be second rate." --Endangered Species Album (no title for this particular song yet). Peace, and much love to you - John Baptist!

Comments

  1. g-vo, this reminds me of JOhn 2:23-25

    Jesus didnt entrust himself to any human, but he wasnt cynical of human beings. He knew our evil capacity, and he didnt need our affirmation, so he could love us fully.

    How do you think we can have the same mentality of not entrusting ourselves to humans, [only God is great lyric], yet not being cynical of people?

    BTW, i have posted 2 other comments in the past on your blog and they dont appear. Is my server in Egypt off? I hope you get this.

    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. wait, i dont know how to edit this thing so i want to phrase what im asking differently:

    how do you love people but not "entrust" yourself to them?

    ReplyDelete

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