Good Guilt, Bad Guilt

There will always be people who bring you down, and you can choose one of two responses: revenge or love. Some people say hate your enemies, but Jesus calls us to love and pray for our enemies—like He did. When Jesus was submitting Himself to die on the cross, there were people mocking Him, beating Him, and spitting on Him. How did Jesus handle this? He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing†(Luke 23:34). This boggles my mind. Most people would try to strike back. So why didn’t Jesus?

Because Jesus is the Son of God, fully God and fully human, who lives in perfect obedience to God the Father. God loves us, even though we all sin against Him. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to rescue us from sin. By enduring death and raising to life again, Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven and live with Him forever! Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, His love changes us, and His Holy Spirit is in us, transforming us to be more and more like Jesus. While the enemy tempts us to try to get revenge when people cause us pain, God calls us to handle these situations differently. Through Jesus, God empowers us to shine His love.

There was a girl in my class who spoke harshly, and she was rude to everyone. But, through God’s grace, I still chose to be kind to her. Every day, I asked her how she was doing. I also invited her to come to church with me. One day, she thanked me for being so kind to her. I found out later that she had some really hard stuff going on at home.

I’ve come to realize that most people hurt others because they are hurting. God sees all this brokenness, and He has compassion on us. As Jesus’s forgiven followers, we’re called to have empathy and compassion for others. We can shine His love to people even when they are harsh, because God empowers us to love everyone.

While you may never know the hurt behind someone’s rudeness, you might be the only person in their life who treats them with kindness. Remember God’s great love for you and how He empowers you to shine His love to everyone. • Talia Dahlman

• How does God’s love make it possible for us to love others?

• If someone has been cruel to you, God hurts with you and offers healing through Jesus. How might knowing that God cares about justice help you not take revenge (Romans 12:17-19)? Who are trusted Christians who can help you discern when and how to set up healthy boundaries?

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.†Matthew 5:44 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Ps.51|2Cor.7.8-2Cor.7.13