Loving the Hated
How desperate are we for love?
'But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 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. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.' - Luke 6:27-31
I heard a song yesterday by the Backstreet Boys and its lyrics surprised me.
It was written by Max Martin and the line that struck me as odd went like this. "I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you love me"
What does that say about the need to be loved? Are we so shallow and desperate that anyone who loves us will do?
The desire to be loved is so great, though, we may be tempted to do whatever it takes.
I don't think that is what Jesus was aiming at when he said we should love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us.
Instead of falling victim to someone who could abuse and hurt us, we could use our love to overpower and disarm our enemies.
All relationships have potential to be about power and there are many ways we can shift the power in a relationship and gain the upper hand.
Jesus is talking about using our love for one another to change the outcome of any encounter, to move our enemy from having a position of strength to being unsettled.
It may seem manipulative but if our love is true and sincere, it can be transformative.
The hard part is meaning what we say and do, and not harboring any ill will.
Using our love to change lives can be tricky business, so it may be best to just try to abide by the golden rule. Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.
And that is easier to do before they are abusive than after.
More to come...