By: Lauren Maloney

”If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:20-21

I've noticed that for many individuals, one of the most challenging aspects of following Christ is learning to love their enemies. It says in Matthew what you are accomplishing by loving people who love you back. What mountain are you climbing by only praying for those who pray for you? Christ says to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Do you pray for those who hate you or have wronged you in one way or another? Is it easy for you to give it to God and let go and move past a situation that may have broken your heart? If your answer is no, I promise you are not alone in that struggle.

While David was hiding from Saul in a cave, he had a chance to end Saul's pursuit by killing him. David was not at fault for Saul's actions against him; becoming king was God's decision, not David’s own. Unfortunately, Saul refused to recognize David’s true character. David was able to sneak up on Saul and cut off the corner of his robe and show him that he truly meant him no harm. David trusted in the Lord to avenge him and any wrong doings by Saul. When rereading the verse, I viewed it differently. It brought to my mind Mark 5:28, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Once David had Saul’s robe in his hand he realized all he needed to do was continue to trust in God's promises to him. Are you reaching out to the Lord and grabbing the hem of His garment when you’re struggling with enemies or are you listening to yourself or, worse, to today’s culture?

We don’t need to prove others' opinions of us are false or show the world the wrong they have done to us because God sees and, as God promised in Deuteronomy 32:35 “It is mine to avenge; I will repay.” When someone treats you poorly for no fault of your own, returning the same type of hatred only helps to prove their behavior is justified. Responding with kindness and integrity is the most effective approach when dealing with individuals who thrive on anger and hostility. As it says in Proverbs 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.

We are called to live beyond the norm and not to conform to this world, which would mean to love those who hate us. This doesn’t mean you have to try to befriend someone who means to hurt you, but we are called to pray for them to find peace. “For our struggle isn’t against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Ephesians 6:12. When people throw stones at you the devil will hand you stones to throw back, but this is when you turn to Jesus and trust in His words “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”