Written by Pastor Jack Wellman“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Quote Commentary About Loving Your Enemy
If you have ever wanted to decimate your enemies, people who don’t like you, people who don’t get you, and people who are annoyed by you, you only need to do one thing: become their friend. By turning your enemies into friends, you wipe out all your enemies. Instead of people that make your blood boil or who make you feel uncomfortable, you look forward to seeing them. Instead of making you feel out of place, you turn to them for comfort, support, and encouragement. Is this possible? Through Jesus Christ, everything is possible. By tapping into our relationship with Christ, we can let his love flow us. There is no fear in love. In fact, love casts out fear. If you’re afraid that people who don’t understand you will mock you, insult you, or attack you, you only need to show them the love that Christ has placed in your heart.
Everyone needs love-even your enemies
The reason some people hurt others or seek to ridicule others is because they themselves feel hurt, alone, abandoned, incomplete, broken, or shut off. They are only trying to pass of the pain they feel. When you break this cycle by showing them love when they show you hate, kindness when they show meanness, understanding when they show malice, you give them the love they’ve always been seeking. You give them the completion they’ve always, deep down, felt they’re missing. Of course, this isn’t human nature. Human nature says that when someone is a jerk to you, you need to be a jerk back. Well, Martin Luther King Jr’s model, Mahatma Gandhi said that ‘an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.’ By returning kindness for cruelty, you short-circuit the pain of your enemies. You show them what they have been missing. Deep down they can feel the love and it begins to work on their hearts. Don’t expect things to completely change overnight but you can be sure that when you show kindness, mercy, understanding, and love, the love of God that you’re channeling is working extra hard to transform your enemies’ hearts.
Love transforms
Just as water will wear down even the strongest rock, channeling God’s love for you towards those in your life that hurt you, belittle you, emotionally hurt you, or make you feel uncomfortable will produce change even in the hardest of hearts. Many of these people have never felt such kindness. The image of God in their hearts yearns for the love you’re channeling. It may not happen overnight but you need to keep loving. Eventually, love will wear down their hard hearts and the love God has placed in their hearts will also shine through.
