Today marks my 100^th weekly blog post since beginning The Rest Stop just under two years ago. This is to date the most challenging and difficult blog I’ve ever attempted to write.

Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

What? Jesus, are you nuts? Love, bless, do good, and pray. Yes, of course I will do all those things for my wife, children, family, and friends, but for my enemies? “Yes, says Jesus, for your enemies.”

An enemy is anyone who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic or hostile activities against another.

Question, how do you respond to hostile fire? What do you do when someone is locked and loaded, and they launch their missiles at you? Missiles attacking your character. Missiles of lies, anger, bitterness, verbal abuse, slander, or gossip. Let’s face it, if we are honest with ourselves, everything in us wants to retaliate.

And yet, Scripture tells us, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Jesus, when He was reviled did not revile in return. No where does it say loving your enemies means condoning their conduct. The bible doesn’t say love what they do or believe, it simply says love them. We may have enemies, those who want to do us harm, but by definition we should never be the enemy.

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There is no doubt the command to love our enemies and to walk that out in action is perhaps the most difficult challenge in all of life.  Our natural reaction when someone has their radar locked on us is to maneuver into position like an F16 fighter pilot and lock and load on them. Rather than reacting we are called to respond. How? By giving the controls over to the Lord.

After enduring three months of solitary confinement, Corrie Ten Boom and her sister were sent to a number of concentration camps before arriving at the notorious Ravensbrück, a women’s labor camp in Germany during World War 2. Her sister Betsie died in the camp. After her release although bravery, sacrifice and unshakable faith in God marked Corrie’s life, most astonishing was her ability to forgive. In 1947 she traveled back to Germany with the message that God forgives. And that’s when she saw him working his way forward against the others. One moment she saw the overcoat and the brown hat: the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. Suddenly she was face to face with one her former captors from Ravensbrück who came to her seeking forgiveness. ‘Jesus, help me!’ she prayed silently. ‘I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling,’” she said. “And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. “I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart!”

“You never so touch the ocean of God’s love as when you forgive and love your enemies.” – Corrie Ten Boom

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