The other night, I spent the evening boiling. My blood was curdling and my mind was dreaming up some very creative phrases that I could hurl at a certain individual who caused said blood curdling...
There is this one person that drives me insane. Ever since I met this person, they have done nothing but hurl insults at me, both behind my back and to my face. And over the past month, I have realized my anger towards them and have not only confessed it to the Lord, but have really tried to love them in my heart.
But a few nights ago, after months (maybe even years) since we last talked, I received a lovely, snarky comment on one of my posts... *ensue anger*. There was no real reason to get mad. Sure, it was annoying. But if I really want to forgive, that doesn't leave much room for an elevating blood pressure or harsh words.
All I wanted to do was quip back with something equally snarky and hateful. I wanted to jump through the computer screen, have a screaming match (confident that I would "win" with flying colors), and throw a punch or two...oh yes...I'm super-godly! #sarcasm
But when God told us to love our enemies, it wasn't followed by: "Haha, just kidding. You can hate them if you want to". In fact, God even says that if we cannot love and forgive others, then we don't really love God! Ouch!
These are unpleasant and terrifying words to deal with. * Side note: before we get too concerned, rest assured that just because we are struggling to love someone who has hurt us, doesn't mean that we are no longer Christians* What it does mean, however, is that there is a serious problem in our hearts.
When we can't seem to love someone, ultimately, it is because we are refusing to see them how God sees them. We would like to view them as the jerkish low-life who _______ (fill in the blank). But how we should see them is as someone who is precious to God. We should see them as a beautiful being created in God's image. The one God loved so much, that He sent His only Son to die for! Wow! Now if that doesn't change our view on things, then something is seriously wrong!
You see, when we start seeing people from God's perspective, we no longer see an enemy. We see someone in the same boat as us. If they are a Christian, we see a sibling that needs our love and forgiveness; if they do not belong to God, then we see someone who is lost and unaware of their own fatal situation. We begin to see someone in need of our help, instead of someone we'd like to punch.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said "Come to me, all who are tired and weary". All.
We are all tired and weary, even our enemies. They want rest just as much as we do. And if they don't know where that rest comes from, we can show them... but only if we choose to love. Because hating our enemies will never be a method of helping them change, helping them meet the Savior. They will only see Him if we decide to put down our anger and hurt, forgive them, and love them unconditionally, as Christ first loved us.
Is there someone that you hate? Are you willing to repent of your unforgiveness and reject the hatred that tries to dive into your heart?
All I wanted to do was quip back with something equally snarky and hateful. I wanted to jump through the computer screen, have a screaming match (confident that I would "win" with flying colors), and throw a punch or two...oh yes...I'm super-godly! #sarcasm
But when God told us to love our enemies, it wasn't followed by: "Haha, just kidding. You can hate them if you want to". In fact, God even says that if we cannot love and forgive others, then we don't really love God! Ouch!
These are unpleasant and terrifying words to deal with. * Side note: before we get too concerned, rest assured that just because we are struggling to love someone who has hurt us, doesn't mean that we are no longer Christians* What it does mean, however, is that there is a serious problem in our hearts.
When we can't seem to love someone, ultimately, it is because we are refusing to see them how God sees them. We would like to view them as the jerkish low-life who _______ (fill in the blank). But how we should see them is as someone who is precious to God. We should see them as a beautiful being created in God's image. The one God loved so much, that He sent His only Son to die for! Wow! Now if that doesn't change our view on things, then something is seriously wrong!
You see, when we start seeing people from God's perspective, we no longer see an enemy. We see someone in the same boat as us. If they are a Christian, we see a sibling that needs our love and forgiveness; if they do not belong to God, then we see someone who is lost and unaware of their own fatal situation. We begin to see someone in need of our help, instead of someone we'd like to punch.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said "Come to me, all who are tired and weary". All.
We are all tired and weary, even our enemies. They want rest just as much as we do. And if they don't know where that rest comes from, we can show them... but only if we choose to love. Because hating our enemies will never be a method of helping them change, helping them meet the Savior. They will only see Him if we decide to put down our anger and hurt, forgive them, and love them unconditionally, as Christ first loved us.
Is there someone that you hate? Are you willing to repent of your unforgiveness and reject the hatred that tries to dive into your heart?
Thank you for the Tuesday Inspiration! I love your line, "When we can't seem to love someone, ultimately, it is because we are refusing to see them how God sees them." So true. I think that often times we forget about this.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Chelsea!
DeleteVery inspiring post, and such a great reminder and lesson to forgive and love all. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. There is someone who I certainly don't hate, but began to not like after they caused some strife in our group. All of the sudden their "quirky" was just "annoying" and I didn't want to be around them any more. I've been praying about it, because I have to be around them twice a week and I have a problem with grudges. This has helped me to see the issue in a new light. I'm going to save it to come back to any time I need a reminder.
ReplyDeleteThat is so good to hear! I am so glad it helped! I have to remind myself of my own words often (which is very humbling!)
DeleteThis is a beautiful post. I want to be better at this. It's definitely something I struggle with!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteGURL, you just brought it. Thank you for being so real with us, Kristin! You had me saying "dang, gurl" this whole post, haha. It was obviously something I had to read. I don't hate anyone, but I am annoyed by a few certain people. I'm human and not perfect. I'm striving to be more and more like Christ everyday, but again - I'm human. But your sentence "When we can't seem to love someone, ultimately, it is because we are refusing to see them how God sees them." was something I definitely needed to be reminded of.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Your words just made my day, and it feel so good to know God used my post :)
DeleteThank you so much for sharing so honestly and openly your heart in this area!! This was convicting and such a blessing!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Rebecca
Thank you, friend! It helps me to know I wrote this, when the anger creeps back. It's a daily process!
DeleteBeautifully written, my friend! Thank you for this reminder. I will have to keep it in my heart for when that anger starts to creep up!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteNeeded to hear this today after having some frustrating encounters. Thank you for sharing and for reminding me to let go of things I cannot control and to focus on what I can: my attitude and feelings!
ReplyDeletexo, Chelsie @ Life with Roise
So glad it was helpful! Thank you for reading!
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