Daily Bread

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

If I'm honest, I'm not that good at loving spiky, difficult people, and if someone hurts me, my modus operandi is to avoid them!

I once worked for a company where the receptionist was the spikiest, most icy person I had ever met. To say she was 'difficult' was an understatement. She was fearsome! Each morning, as I entered the office, I would sneak past her desk and offer the briefest of greetings lest I fall foul of her barrage of derogatory comments. Yet, a colleague of mine did exactly the opposite. He would bring flowers in for her, tell her how beautiful she looked, and go out of his way to listen to her. He confided in me that he wanted to wear her down with love, and he did. His consistent offer of love and acceptance slowly blunted her spikes, and I confess that I felt a pang of shame that I, a Christian, had not acted with the love expected of me by Christ.

Jesus reminded his listeners that they could all love those who are lovable, but to love their enemies and pray for those who hurt them was to be godlike, and they were called to be God's children!

Can you think of someone who you find difficult or spiky? Perhaps it is someone who has or is hurting you? Love them. Wear them down with love. It might mean gritting your teeth and some determination, but with God's help and inspiration you can do it!

Holy God
Fill me with your divine love —
a love that overflows to all,
not just the lovable,
but to those I find difficult
and those who have hurt me.
Help me be more like you
in all I do and in all I am.
Now and forever.