Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,

I can’t remember all the stupid things I have blurted out that hurt people’s feelings. None of them were done in meanness or with the intent of hurting people. They were a reflection of my ignorance and inexperience. I remember once when my three year old son mistook his friend’s mother as an older child. Unfortunately the words he used were the “big girl” I thought she would take it as a compliment, but instead she took it to mean that she was fat. I forgave myself for my blunder and hoped that she did as well. It would help probably if I carefully thought about things before I said them, but even then I would not comprehend that big girl translated into fat girl.  

The old saying do unto others as you have would have them do unto you has backfired on me so many times. A neighbor had been in the hospital with surgery and so I thought if this were me what would I want someone to do for me. Needless to say what I would want turned out to be the last thing she wanted.  She didn’t leave the church over it, but used the experience as an example of what not to do in one of her lessons much to my embarrassment. She didn’t call my name, but she certainly got even with me. I’m able to laugh about it now.

Sometimes we ask ourselves, what would Christ do?  The only way we can know the answer is to study about him, learn about him, listen to the Holy Spirit, pray, experience, and give thanks.  

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, for if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not the publicans the same?”  (Matthew 5:44-46)

This does not mean that we need to cast pearls before swine or that we should put ourselves or our children in danger. I have made that mistake before as well, but slowly I have learned that if I stay close to our Lord he will give promptings through the Spirit what I should do. I am learning that I know very little, but the Lord knows all things. If I take the time to ask him, it only takes a second when you are on speaking terms with God to say, should I do this?  And he will send a prompt is seconds if he recognizes your voice.  In so doing you draw nearer to the Lord and become more Christ-like.