God Loves Your Enemies

"But I tell you, love your enemies and do good to those who spitefully use you."

I once had a conversation with a cynical atheist. He said that it's funny how God always hates the same people we do. I kind of laugh at that idea in light of recent events.

I almost wish God hated the same people I do. Unfortunately, He loves my enemies, whether I want him to or not.

Just when I think I have God figured out, He throws me for a loop. He does good to those who hate me, and loves them. He blesses people who hurt me and heaps endless grace on them. Oh this isn't to say that He has ignored me, I just want to be ahead of the game.

How many of us who have been hurt, sat there in the darkness mulling over the pain, and fantasizing about all sorts of terrible things to befall our enemies? I can even justify it with the Bible. Even King David made no bones about wishing dreadful things on his enemies. But of course, David himself humbly asks God to search his heart for evil that might be hiding within him as well.

But I wrestle on anyway. I insist on my rights here and they are violated. So I am the judge, pronouncing judgment and condemnation on those who persecuted me and ARE guilty. No, the guilt isn't imagined, they did indeed commit sins against me. And I am justified in my anger towards them.

But this, dear reader, is no ordinary courtroom. It is a bit backwards. I am the one that gets to go to jail and serve the sentence. I get to sit and rot in my cell of resentment and bitterness, while my enemies go free and enjoy their miserable lives. So help me I will punish myself for their wrong doings! I'll show them!

Yes, dear reader, I use a bit of satire and dark sarcasm here. But if we are to be honest, to one level or another this is how we all have felt when someone wronged us. And when they do it, we don't hesitate to send ourselves to the dungeon of resentment, loathing, and cynicism.

On a classic 50's suburbia TV show, Andy Griffith, there is a character who is the town drunk. He lives at the jailhouse. He walks in, hangs up his coat, grabs the key, opens the cell, closes it, locks it, and replaces the key, and goes to sleep. I remember laughing at this idiot, but the symbolism is quite striking. We each have access to the cell and the keys. We come and go when we please, and we stay as long as we like. Nothing is holding us there.

And the keys? Well, it starts with acknowledging that God has the sole right to have mercy and tons of grace and love for anyone He chooses to. He gets to be the God and love the hell out of our enemies. That is something quite humbling I have been wrestling with lately.

In recent days due to circumstance, my mind was drawn to old foes who have indeed hurt me and the wound was opened up anew. I saw how good these people were doing and how happy they were. And I hated it. So without fail I locked myself in my usual cell and was angry, yes, angry at God for being so damned good to them! Like how dare He! I distinctly remember ordering Him to cause them much suffering, not blessings!

He then of course reminded me that He was good to me too, and that He loves all involved regardless of what happened. He is a God of love who prefers to overcome evil with good. He doesn't want to beat the hell out of someone, He prefers to love the hell out of them. Where punishment and bitter occurrences fail, love shines through. God then reminded me that His real enemy is not us as people, but rather the sin and the evil that entangle them. And then He showed me that the biggest victory over that sin and evil took place on the cross in a graphic, naked, and open display of MERCY as he begged the Father for forgiveness for the people even as He hung there.

He then leaves me to myself and reminds me that I can come out of my cell in this dungeon whenever I choose. He reminds me that He loves me and mercy and grace in abundance is mine for the taking, just as it is with everyone else, even my enemies.

And at the end of the day, I am humbly forced to admit that He is a good God, even when I don't want him to be.