Luke 6:27-31
[Jesus said:] 27 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
27 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
Every time I do premarital counseling with a couple, the pattern is the same. They come in holding hands, smiling lovingly at each other, and trying to assure me that they’re never going to have a fight. They believe this because their hormones are in overdrive, flooding their systems with the endorphins of new love. My job is to gently and lovingly convince them that, when the hormones calm down, they will have disagreements.
We all love that blissful feeling of being in love, but that feeling is fleeting. Real love is a discipline that we have to practice regularly to maintain. Real love holds others accountable, challenging bad behavior without malice or fear. Real love seeks the good in everyone, giving credit where it’s due without envy or spite. Real love prays for the one who torments us mercilessly, day in and day out, and for the one who genuinely seeks to do us harm.
To love others as Jesus loves us is counterintuitive. It’s an act of the will rather than a feeling of the heart. Choosing to love costs us something because the only way to do it is by setting aside our own ego and taking up the Cross of Christ. It takes a leap of faith to get started, but we fall right into the waiting arms of Our Lord.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, every part of my mind screams and fights against loving my enemies and praying for those who abuse me. It’s only by your grace that I can even desire to do this. Make me an instrument of your peace. AMEN