Facebook kicked me in the teeth

November 30th, 2007

Dana Fisher

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you – Matthew 5:44

I’m sure you have a friend, acquaintance, co-worker, etc… who rubs you the wrong way. Maybe all the time, maybe only once in a while. God knows I do.

Normally I just get frustrated and angry. Maybe I vent to other friends about it.

WRONG.

The challenge I’ve been presented is to love them, to understand them, to befriend them. What? Yup, be their friend.

Love covers a multitude of sins – 1 Peter 4:8. In love my attitude will change. I’ll begin to get along, I may actually even[shudder] ENJOY their company! Oh no!

How is this possible? How can I love who I hate? Because if I pray continually without ceasing(1 Thessalonians 5:17) God will change my heart. He’ll break down the walls. Stop repaying wrong for wrong(1 Thessalonians 5:15).

I did this wednesday. I repaid wrong for wrong to make a point. I tried to outsmart sin to which I can attest is a bad decision. I’ll always lose that fight.

Yesterday morning I checked in to Facebook and I have a daily verse that pops up every day. Just like any other computer program it’s a randomly generated verse that spits out every day. The same verse goes to 1,000’s of people. But as I looked at the screen my teeth got kicked in. “Love your enemies…” Ugh! To be convicted by a mindless computer program! Yet God knew when I installed that 3 months ago that on this day I would get this exact verse and that it would convict me on sin from just hours before. What a gracious, loving God we serve.

Several people pop in to my mind when I read those verses in Matthew. People that probably have no idea they aggravate me, but I need to be nicer.

As I venture on to tackle this new challenge I’m reminded that in changing for the better I will be attacked even harder by the Enemy. And more than likely, he’ll hit me where it hurts. Friends will question my actions(“You’re friends with who?!”) and these people who I need to love more will probably become more annoying and irritating to try and dissuade me from persuing loving like Jesus. Be strong. Run the race hard(Hebrews 12:1). It’ll get easier to love the more you do it.