Forbearing part 4
I've been saving this one, but today is the day for it. This is verse that recently struck me very hard, just the other day. "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). And I'm not going to go into all the details, but the short version is: I bought someone a present. And someone else who knows both of us was kind of amazed, and said, "Why did you do that, you don't even like them?" And I responded with, "I don't like that I don't like them." So in order to kind of clear my conscience I went the extra mile. I blessed them. And I gotta tell you, it doesn't seem to have done any good. But that's ok. Because you can't control what other people do. You can only control what you do. And as far as I'm concerned, I have done (and will continue to do) everything I can to love this person. Not ignore them. Not just put up with them. But actively help them in any way I can, and go the extra mile to try to be nice to them. Because whether I like them or not, I gotta be who I am. I gotta let what's inside come out. I don't like having ill will. I don't like carrying around that resentment. And here's the thing: I know this person spends a lot of time and energy on me. Running me down behind my back (to people that tell me what's going on, no less). Complaining about me to anybody who will listen. And then turning around and trying to joke around with me. Asking me to do things they don't want to do. Well, if someone asks me for help, and I can help them (NOT enable them, but actually help them), I'm going to do it. Call me a doormat if you want. But as far as I'm concerned, that's called being the bigger person. Being mature. Being a follower of Christ, in a sense. Letting Jesus do what He came to do in me, and through me, and as me. And that's one of the best things about Jesus--He doesn't say things like, "do good to them that hate you," without fully intending to do that Himself. He did it in His earth walk, and He does it in us, and through us, and as us. It is the power of God in us both to will and to do of HIS good pleasure. He puts the desire to love in our hearts, and He puts in the love to back up that desire. Its all Him, is what I'm trying to say. And if I've learned anything in this life, its that I really don't have to fight all these battles. I can just hold my head high and keep being me, and my heavenly Father will work things out to His (and my) satisfaction. So while it seems like I'm all hot and bothered about this person... I'm really not. I'm just trying to use a real world example of what I've been Ranting about. And I generely try to pick on myself, so nobody else gets offended. So while this person is wearing themselves out not liking me, I'm over it. Literally. Its beneath me. I'm over here heaping burning coals on people's heads. Not to hurt them, or burn them, but to melt their hearts. And, like I said, even if it doesn't work... I can shrug my shoulders and know that I've done what I could do. Whenever you give something (or someone) everything you've got... its either enough, or its not. And either way, you can rest assured that its not you, its them. You can love people whether they like you or not. You can forbear... in love. With love. Through love. Because of love. Its all about love!