DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU

I recently found a very simple definition of love: Love is the attraction of all things toward all things. For whatever reason, that cleared my nebulous feelings toward the definition of God as love. I used that definition because that is the definition most given, but it never had any solid connection for me. But, again for whatever reason, God is the attraction of all things toward all things makes a home in my heart.

I long ago accepted that the foundation of my spiritual journey (that which I occasionally call my freaking cross to bear) is to practice love for my enemies. I had to do some serious inner searching to define what "my enemies" look like to me, being as I didn't think I had any. Well, they look like anyone who disagrees with me in the moment.

I came to accept that to practice Love Your Enemy, we need to make our very own the instructions found at Luke 6:27-29:  To you who are listening, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.

The pearl beyond price is that practicing those instructions (to my admittedly limited ability) has given me more than one or two friends. Who, be it noted, once qualified in my head as "my enemy." And, in the moment of disagreement, I would not have thought I'd ever want as my friend...I would have been wrong.

I am reminded again that it is in that great unknown-to-me that miracles materialize...we pray thank you and God's you're welcome transforms us and our life.

Thank you.