Keep speaking blessings on those who curse you. Keep praying for those who mistreat you. ~Luke 6:28
It’s easy to love those who treat you well, who lavish praise and affection on you. But what if those actions stop? What if they grow cold, angry, or bitter and wound you? What if they decide they do not want you in their lives and ostracize you? What if they put you down and belittle you? What if they undermine your potential and just become annoyed at everything you say or do? What if they just don’t want you? Turn their back? Betray or abandon you? What now???
Bitterness is so easy to give into. Self-righteous feelings of “I deserve better” or “how dare they” swirl in your mind. Yes, it is easy to love and respect someone when everything is puppies, lucky charms, and rainbows….but what about when it is storm clouds, daggers, and surging waves?
I have experienced many times in my life now, people I trusted and loved leave me. It is like doing a trust fall, but no one is there to catch you. It really hurts! Like being blood-eagled, but instead of just your lungs being ripped out, your heart and gut are torn out with it. How does one love those who wound like that? Learn to respect decisions that hurt you so deeply? It all boils down to the foundation of one’s love. Is your love for them based on warm, happy feelings, or a choice? Do you only respect his or her decisions when they coincide with yours?
In the Bible, blessings and cursings are not necessarily what we view them as in society today. It’s not a “bless you” after one sneezes, or a four-letter word. In God’s Word, when one spoke blessings, he spoke good things about the other person; when he spoke cursings, he spoke badly of the other person. What the above verse really is saying, is to speak well of those who have spoken badly of you.
Cringe.
I know, that just makes you clam up at the thought. How can you speak well of that person?
Simple.
Do not let their actions affect yours. Refuse to speak badly of them. Yes, you can acknowledge that they may be arrogant, judgmental, immature, etc.
BUT.
Do not spread these thoughts around to others. Ultimately, their problem is with God and not you. Remember that. If they never loved you, they do not understand Gods love. If they are judgmental towards you, they do not understand God’s mercy. If they are selfish, they do not understand that God’s ways are higher than theirs. This is where the second part of the verse comes in….pray for those who mistreat you. Pray, because their biggest problem is their relationship with God…not you.
So how do you learn to love and respect those who hurt you?
• Remember that love is a choice, not based on how the other person acts or makes you feel
• Remember that if you respect someone, you cannot only respect the decisions that you agree with.
• Remember to only speak well of those who have spoken badly about you
• Remember to pray for those who have mistreated you
• Remember their ultimate offense is against God and not you
• Remember all the above is a choice, NOT a feeling
It’s easy to love those who treat you well, who lavish praise and affection on you. But what if those actions stop? What if they grow cold, angry, or bitter and wound you? What if they decide they do not want you in their lives and ostracize you? What if they put you down and belittle you? What if they undermine your potential and just become annoyed at everything you say or do? What if they just don’t want you? Turn their back? Betray or abandon you? What now???
Bitterness is so easy to give into. Self-righteous feelings of “I deserve better” or “how dare they” swirl in your mind. Yes, it is easy to love and respect someone when everything is puppies, lucky charms, and rainbows….but what about when it is storm clouds, daggers, and surging waves?
I have experienced many times in my life now, people I trusted and loved leave me. It is like doing a trust fall, but no one is there to catch you. It really hurts! Like being blood-eagled, but instead of just your lungs being ripped out, your heart and gut are torn out with it. How does one love those who wound like that? Learn to respect decisions that hurt you so deeply? It all boils down to the foundation of one’s love. Is your love for them based on warm, happy feelings, or a choice? Do you only respect his or her decisions when they coincide with yours?
In the Bible, blessings and cursings are not necessarily what we view them as in society today. It’s not a “bless you” after one sneezes, or a four-letter word. In God’s Word, when one spoke blessings, he spoke good things about the other person; when he spoke cursings, he spoke badly of the other person. What the above verse really is saying, is to speak well of those who have spoken badly of you.
Cringe.
I know, that just makes you clam up at the thought. How can you speak well of that person?
Simple.
Do not let their actions affect yours. Refuse to speak badly of them. Yes, you can acknowledge that they may be arrogant, judgmental, immature, etc.
BUT.
Do not spread these thoughts around to others. Ultimately, their problem is with God and not you. Remember that. If they never loved you, they do not understand Gods love. If they are judgmental towards you, they do not understand God’s mercy. If they are selfish, they do not understand that God’s ways are higher than theirs. This is where the second part of the verse comes in….pray for those who mistreat you. Pray, because their biggest problem is their relationship with God…not you.
So how do you learn to love and respect those who hurt you?
• Remember that love is a choice, not based on how the other person acts or makes you feel
• Remember that if you respect someone, you cannot only respect the decisions that you agree with.
• Remember to only speak well of those who have spoken badly about you
• Remember to pray for those who have mistreated you
• Remember their ultimate offense is against God and not you
• Remember all the above is a choice, NOT a feeling
