We love our families. Â 
Our friends.
Our neighbours.
Our towns.
Our countries.
But our enemies?
We’ve heard it lots of times but somehow it still doesn’t seem like a good idea – or at least not in practice.
Why should they get our love as well as everything else they’ve taken from us?
I don’t know the answer to that but I wonder what happens to us if  we do manage to love our enemies?
Is it possible that we get something bigger and better than whatever it was that was taken from us in the first place?
I don’t know.
Maybe.
What do you think?
Interesting thoughts. I think the hardest enemy to love is the enemy within. The part of us that tells us we are not good enough, that we won’t succeed that no one will want to hear what we have to say. One of the things I’ve discovered along the way is that if you throw a bit of love at a problem it has amazing potential to change a situation. If someone is venting anger reply by speaking quietly and with grace and amazingly they stop shouting at you. It really does work. So maybe if we start with our enemy within we can learn to extend that love to others. It doesn’t mean that we have to agree with them but it does show that they cannot, through anger, force us to adopt the same stance. Thanks for this post, you got my head and my heart moving this morning. 😉
I love the idea of throwing love at problems – it’s giving me great pictures in my head! I agree about the enemy within – if we can throw a bit of love and compassion our own way as well, it often helps enormously not just for ourselves but also in our interactions with others. Now, back to imagining ways to ‘throw a bit of love’!
I don’t doubt this is a very good idea, to love your enemies. It isn’t an easy thing to do. Often I talk with kids who are being bullied at school. While I do not condone bullying, one thing the kids find helpful is to try and understant the person who is hurting them. In this way they begin to develop compassion for a stance that is rooted in hatred, self-hatred. I need to practice this myself – most of my current “enemies” are people who seem to have a lot of power in my field of work. If I concentrate too much upon this i lose the ability to believe in my own ideas and my own sense that I can in fact make a difference in the world. Lately I have been considering the idea that people for the most part hurt others unintentionally. This is what Jesus said. I think that’s a good idea. When we think our enemies are aware of what they are doing it hurts so much more…it feels as if they are sanctioning us because we deserve it. If we realize most of the hurt slung in our direction is coming from a position of blindness, in the psychic sense of the word, it frees you to feel more compassion.
I think of that as collateral damage and it does help in finding compassion for the perpetrators – or at least that’s what I think when I’m in a good mood. When I am in a bad mood, I wonder why everyone doesn’t see that they have a responsibility to see where the crap is landing – and then, in a good mood again – I tell myself I need to take my own advice and worry about where ‘my stuff’ that I am throwing around lands and stop thinking about what others are doing – plough my own furrow in other words. And duck faster. By now, as a health professional, you’ll probably be noticing my pattern of (undiagnosed) mood swings…
Oh, I’m sort of down on the over-diagnosing thing…I believe mood swings as they are labeled are part of how people survive. I’m grateful for moods, and I’m grateful for the way you share your thoughts and feelings with me.
I wrote a piece about abusive sorts yesterday and was debating whether or not to publish it. I probably should 😉 Take care.
I know God knew what he was talking out here, when He moved through His Son to speak these words to us! Love always wins–the other stuff never does over time. And I am working for the long haul!
Wise words but easier said than done.
When we hate our enemies, we are giving them power over us: power over our sleep, our appetites, our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness. Our hate is not hurting them at all, but our hate is turning our own days and nights into a hellish turmoil. ~ Dale Carnegie
When we have conquered the enemy within . . . there are no enemies left to conquer. 😀
Great quote, Nancy, thanks.
The enemy within is the fiercest… we conquer that and the rest is a piece of cake. 🙂 TY!
Good advice, as always, Elizabeth.
Loved your post… lots of food for the mind… 😉
Wise words but easier said than done.
I think of that as collateral damage and it does help in finding compassion for the perpetrators – or at least that’s what I think when I’m in a good mood. When I am in a bad mood, I wonder why everyone doesn’t see that they have a responsibility to see where the crap is landing – and then, in a good mood again – I tell myself I need to take my own advice and worry about where ‘my stuff’ that I am throwing around lands and stop thinking about what others are doing – plough my own furrow in other words. And duck faster. By now, as a health professional, you’ll probably be noticing my pattern of (undiagnosed) mood swings…
Oh, I’m sort of down on the over-diagnosing thing…I believe mood swings as they are labeled are part of how people survive. I’m grateful for moods, and I’m grateful for the way you share your thoughts and feelings with me.
I wrote a piece about abusive sorts yesterday and was debating whether or not to publish it. I probably should 😉 Take care.
I love the idea of throwing love at problems – it’s giving me great pictures in my head! I agree about the enemy within – if we can throw a bit of love and compassion our own way as well, it often helps enormously not just for ourselves but also in our interactions with others. Now, back to imagining ways to ‘throw a bit of love’!