Love Your Enemies?

READ: MATTHEW 5:43-48; LUKE 6:27-28; ROMANS 12:9-21

Ordinary students—like me—kept to themselves in order to avoid fists or knives. Paralyzed by fear, teachers ignored bullying because it was dangerous to interfere. Only blood and severe violence forced school administrators to act.

Why was I singled out? I didn’t know. For some reason, the gang leader hated me, and her minions made my life miserable. At first, I ignored the elbow in the ribs in the hallway or a basketball slammed against the back of my head in the gym. The badgering escalated because silence conveyed weakness.

My parents had their own problems. I couldn’t share mine. I wasn’t a fighter, and neither were my friends. I had no backup.

At church, the youth pastor challenged us to read the Bible and trust God. Unconvinced that God was more than a distant-energy-cosmic-thing, I didn’t think much of Him. However, I started to read Matthew, and when I read Jesus’s words to love your enemies, I laughed. Love your enemies? Pray for those who persecute you?

But I couldn’t shake off the idea, so I decided to try it. I bought a glittery card with a poem about friendship. My stomach churned so hard I thought I’d vomit when I handed the card to the gang leader and ran away.

She never said one word to me. In fact, I barely saw her the rest of the semester, but the threats stopped. I was no longer pushed, shoved, or spit on. She called off the gang.

It was the first time I saw God working in my life, the first time I saw the power of His Word. It was a miracle. • Gretchen Carlson

• Today’s devotion is a true story of God doing a miracle in the author’s life. But every bullying situation is different, so if you’re being bullied or seeing bullying happen, don’t go it alone. In addition to talking to God, tell a trusted adult so they can help you figure out what steps to take.

• Jesus loved us even while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:6-11). If you know Him, He lives in you and empowers you to love others with that same love. How can Jesus’s love affect the way we view people who hurt us? After talking with a trusted adult about your situation and discerning next steps, consider talking about ways you can love your enemies in your situation.

[Jesus said,] “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Matthew 5:44 (NLT)