You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.  For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary?  Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.   Matthew 5:43-48  HCSB

The other day my brother-in-law was kind enough to make some repairs on the trailer we use to take our mower to the shop.  Due to the location of his shop he suggested that we not leave the trailer sitting there overnight and my husband was dressed and about to leave for work.  So, I had my nephew meet me there and help me hook the trailer to the truck and I drove it home which was all no problem.  But then I decided that I wanted to back it into our driveway.  Now, if you have ever backed a trailer then you know that the difficult thing about doing it is that you have to turn the steering wheel in the direction opposite that you want the trailer to go.  Your mind has to work completely backward.  It took a while, but with grim determination I got it done.  I had to pull up and start all over several times.  Each time I had to remind myself to do it in this way that seems totally backward, because it is totally backward.  When you turn a steering wheel to back your vehicle, you turn the way you want to go. But when backing a trailer, your vehicle is going one way and the trailer is going the other way.  Weird to say the least.

Well, Christianity is that way also.  We have to do the complete opposite of what the world says to do.  Our scripture passage speaks to this very thing.  The world tells us that when someone offends us or sins against us that we must exact revenge.  We must repay their evil for evil.  But the bible tells us the opposite. Evil  people will come against us, but our scripture passage tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  Romans 12:14 says bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Romans 12:17 tells us not to repay evil for evil and Romans 12:19 tells us not to avenge ourselves but to leave room for God’s wrath.

It’s perfectly normal for us to be angry with someone who persecutes us.  Anger is an emotion, but it’s how we handle that anger that makes all the difference in the world.  Genesis 1:27 says that God made us in His image.  He wants us to be like Him.  John 3:16 tells us that He sent His son so that those of us who believe in Him might have everlasting life.  He sent Jesus as an example of how we should live.  When we believe in Him, I mean truly believe in Him.  We want to follow His example.  I must admit, however, that at times it is really hard to do.

Now there is another thing about backing a trailer.  If you turn too far in either direction, it can hit and dent the vehicle pulling it.  You have to be careful and if you are a beginner as I am, you have to watch where you are going and may have to stop and start several times to get it just right.  The same goes for our Christianity.  We have to be really careful. We may have to stop and re-evaluate the direction in which we are headed. When we proclaim that we are Christians, the world begins to watch for flaws or cracks in our foundation.  They are waiting for us to make a mistake.  When we show hatred towards our enemy and plot evil against them, our witness is destroyed.  Game over my friend.  Then we are branded as a hypocrite.

Christianity is essentially going the opposite way that our flesh wants to go.  It is going opposite the way the world tells us we should go.  This is what makes it such a challenge. But nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37).  Our scripture passage for today concludes by telling us to be perfect.  Now we know that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), right?  So how can we possibly be perfect?  Well, we can’t be perfect, but we can strive for righteousness or holiness.  We can draw near to God and ask Him to help us do these things that may be difficult for us.  Remember that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  Even if that means doing the opposite of what we have done in the past, or want to do, or are being told by others that we should do.

So the next time you think about doing something the world’s way, think about backing that trailer into that spot.  Don’t be afraid to turn the opposite way.  It works!

Have a great day!

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