Blessing Those Who Curse You

"Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you." -Luke 6:28
 

Have you ever had an enemy? It could be someone you might have gotten into an argument with, someone who wronged you, or it could even be a former friend or estranged relative. However the enemy became an enemy, Jesus taught us that we are to bless our enemies, to pray for those who have hurt us. (Matthew 5:44) 

This is easier said that done. Often if there has been abuse involved it is difficult to think about that person and even harder to forgive them. But, forgive them we must - because as Jesus said, "...if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:15 

One night I was driving home from the gym with my mom, as she was visiting from out of town. All of a sudden, a dog rushed out in front of us, and (BAM!) I had no time to stop. My first concern was the dog, because I thought for sure he would be lying on the side of the road either dead or needing emergency care. But as I walked over to where the dog came from he was bounding around, like nothing had happened. I saw the dog's owner as I began to walk over and asked, "Is your dog alright?" to which he replied, "He seems fine to me!" "Ok," I said. I couldn't see any damage to my car in the dark, so I drove home, slightly shaken. 

When I got home I told my husband what had happened and he came out to look at my car. The car had been chipped above the right wheel, where I had hit the dog. I began to think about what had happened. In our county it is illegal to let a dog roam in a neighborhood without a leash. So, my husband and I decided to go over to the man's house and talk to him about the situation. 

When we got there, the dog's owner was sitting inside the garage smoking. When we walked up, he greeted us and was very nice. We told him about the situation and showed him the damage, and he immediately said, "I'd be happy to compensate you for that." I was so glad. I didn't want it to turn into a big confrontation. 

A couple days later I got an estimate for the repair of my car and put it on his door, like he asked, with a note. Several minutes later he called on my phone and left a message saying, "It was your fault you hit my dog. My lawyer said it's your fault, so I'm not paying for this." At that point, we became enemies. I called him back and asked him if he was aware of the county leash laws. He said that he was but that he was not responsible. I told him my mom and I could have been seriously hurt due to his irresponsibility, to which he hung up the phone. 

I was so mad! It made me even more upset that this whole situation was taking up time due to the drama of it all. But, eventually, I got over it - I let it go. I just hoped that his dog wouldn't be let out again so we wouldn't have any more incidences. 

One day, I drove past and remembered the situation, and remembered the scripture, "pray for your enemies - bless those who curse you." So I prayed that God would bless him. Wouldn't you know it, two weeks later, a "For Rent" sign showed up on the lawn. He had moved! I definitely felt a lot safer. 

Do you pray for your enemies? Do you bless those who curse you? Ask God to help you bless your enemies today.

Unconditional Blessing, Unconditional Honor

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”  -Romans 12:14



If you’ve spent any time in Christian circles, you’ve likely heard a sermon preached on blessing our enemies and praying for those who curse us. (Luke 6:28) We talk about blessing as it relates to people who are different than us, aka, sinners, or the unrighteous.  But how often on a regular basis do we get to mingle with people who are COMPLETELY different than us, unless we started hanging out at bars, strip clubs, or mosques?  And, how often does someone who is more like us rub us the wrong way at church? How do we respond? Do we actually know how to bless someone we disagree with, like Jesus did?



Our culture is pretty different than Eastern Jewish culture was back then.  Our culture is very much based on a performance-mindset - that is, “If you do what I want, I’ll bless you.”  This idea comes through in our parenting styles, our management, and our pastoral care.  No doubt about it there is consequence for poor or bad behavior.  But, in the Jewish culture they understood that blessing was a given.  You bless the person because they are a human being, created by God.  You believe the best for them.  You pray for them.  As far as honor was concerned, they honored people because of the position they held, not because of good or bad behavior, (not to say they didn’t confront them.) (Matthew 18:15) But, in our culture, I think we have it backwards. We’re called to bless, not withhold blessing based on performance.  In reality, we should honor everyone, no matter who they are. 



True love isn’t love if it’s conditional - true love is very hard. When we are offended or hurt by something, we naturally shrink back in self-protection.  To be possible, unconditional blessing requires the cross - it requires Jesus.



Are you able to bless others unconditionally?  When someone hurts you, instead of putting walls up, try blessing them instead. This isn’t condoning out of order behavior - but a recognition of the person in spite of their behavior. Pray and ask God how He might have you bless someone today.