(from my upcoming book: Audacity)
It takes courage to forgive. It takes boldness to love.
Having enemies is no fun. Think back to when you were a child; maybe you had a bully in your neighborhood. Maybe your enemy, or villain, came from a person you thought was your friend—someone you trusted but ended up betraying you. Many of us today live in the emotional dread of an ex-spouse, a parent who hurt us, someone who sexually abused us, someone who tried to destroy our reputation, or some other person who just seems to be an emissary straight from hell—bent on making our lives miserable.
We may dream of getting even, hope for something awful to happen to them, or at least enjoy the thoughts of them suffering in some way. But God is very blunt in this area, and the words of Jesus are revolutionary:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 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, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
The Greek word here for “perfect” is teleios and it means 1) brought to its end, or completion 2) lacking nothing necessary to completeness 3) full grown, adult, of full age, mature.
In other words, you are never more complete than when you are doing what Jesus said to do right here.
When you think of all the character qualities that say to the world, “This person is truly a Christian, or—truly complete,” loving our enemies and praying for those who have persecuted us may be the most remarkable attributes we could ever reflect as growing and maturing followers of Christ. If love is the greatest thing, then loving our enemies is the greatest thing that love can do.
Because people are at the core of what is most life-giving in our dance with destiny, it is no wonder the enemy will also use people to try and break our spirit. Relationships are responsible for our greatest joys and our greatest scars—our best experiences and our worst experiences in life. They account for our healthiest emotions and our most toxic emotions.
People can be redemptive and they can be brutal. But know this, friend: The bravest thing you can ever do in this lifetime isn’t to grace the summit of Mount Everest. It isn’t swimming across shark-infested waters or skydiving out of an airplane. It’s not doing a back flip on a motorcycle over a fountain at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The most courageous thing you could ever do in this lifetime is demonstrate love and kindness towards those who have intentionally hurt you.
Nothing in all of life requires more audacity.