4 Comments

  1. Victoria Nimmo Walters
    March 14, 2016 @ 6:25 PM

    From my perspective, it isn’t so much a matter of how I feel about someone else, I believe that my ‘enemy’ is anyone who is out to do me ill. As such, if I (personally) have any human enemies, I am not aware of them. So I tend to think in broader terms: If I am called upon to lay down my life for my faith, I pray that I will rise to the command of Jesus to “love my enemy” by not succumbing to his or her demands of me, but rather face them with the love of Jesus shining from my eyes.

    I often think of the story of David Wilkerson in The Cross and the Switchblade, where Nicky Cruz threatened him with a knife for having said that Jesus loves him. David Wilkerson said, “You can cut me into tiny pieces with that knife. But if you do, every piece of me will cry out that Jesus loves you.” That so disarmed him that Nicky Cruz dropped his knife and walked away. He didn’t respond to Jesus’ love in that moment, but that encounter cracked open the door for his response at a later time.

  2. avincent
    March 14, 2016 @ 8:27 PM

    If I use your definition, the people I referenced in the first definition would certainly qualify. Those people are still out to harm me but they have very limited access to me right now. I still have to deal with one of them to a degree and I pray that I can show God’s love when faced by her again.

    The person I would like to shake, is because he is harming several others on an ongoing basis. I have been unsuccessful in getting through to him about how his behavior is impacting others. I have had to distance myself from him as much as possible. I know I still have to pray for him and for those he is harming, and I occasionally do. I should do it more often. That is probably the only way I am going to move past my anger/frustration with him and say I truly love him.

  3. Victoria Nimmo Walters
    March 19, 2016 @ 1:32 PM

    In cases like that (the second instance you mentioned) I think I would take guidance from King David. Remember his psalms in which he prayed for his enemies? He had no problem at all about praying, “Gettem, God – they aren’t just my enemies, they hate YOU, too!” (Of course I’m paraphrasing…)

    • avincent
      March 19, 2016 @ 3:52 PM

      I started to air it all out. Not what I need to do. The person claims to be God’s child. Maybe I need to pray, “God get their attention and make them wake up!” Part of that would also backwash on his enablers. Maybe that is why I haven’t yet. I think God may be speaking to me through you. Thank you for the advice and thank You for placing this direction into my life.