DEALING WITH HURT

Have you been seriously hurt? Is anyone deliberately hurting you right now? Is a friend or loved one maliciously treating you worse than your enemy? Jesus offers four ways to deal with such painful situations: “LOVE [be patient and kind to] your enemies, BLESS [speak well of] those who curse you, DO GOOD to those who hate you, and PRAY for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43). If you are to do these four things for your “enemy,” how much to a friend or loved one at home, work, neighborhood, or church? Believe me, consistently displaying these four graces to those seeking your hurt takes the pain and bitterness from your own heart.—SKP