The Hardest Kind of Love

Read

Matthew 5:43-44 "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,"

Think

Loving your friends is easy. You laugh with them. You share snacks. You save them a seat. That kind of love is fun and it feels good.

But what about the kid who is mean to you? The one who calls you names, or knocks your books down, or laughs when you mess up? Loving that kid does not feel easy at all. It feels almost impossible.

You know what? Jesus knew that. And he said something that probably made the whole crowd go quiet. “Love your enemies. Pray for the people who are mean to you.”

Everybody had always been taught to love your friends and hate the people who hurt you. That felt normal. That felt fair. But Jesus flipped it upside down. He said the people who are hardest to love are exactly the ones we should love.

Now let's be honest. That does not mean bullying is okay. It is never okay for someone to hurt you. If a kid is being mean to you at school, you should always tell a teacher or a parent. Getting help is a brave and smart thing to do. God does not want you to just stay quiet and get hurt.

But loving your enemy means you do not let their meanness turn you mean too. It means you can still pray for them, even when you do not like them. It means you refuse to become a bully back.

Praying for someone who is mean is like a secret superpower. It is really hard to keep hating someone while you are praying for them. Something in your own heart starts to soften. God changes you, even if the other kid does not change yet.

This week we are learning to love like Jesus. And the very first lesson is the hardest one. Even the people who are mean to us are people God made and God loves. We can love them too, with God's help.

Apply

Pray for a hard person – Think of one person who is hard to love, maybe someone who has been mean to you. Say a short prayer for them today. And if someone is bullying you, tell a trusted grownup right away.

Pray

God, some people are really hard to love. I do not always want to, but you tell me to try. Help me pray for them instead of hating them. And please protect me and my friends from anyone who is mean. In Jesus' name. Amen.