How can we love our enemies?

Question

Our next door neighbor is suing us for something we had no control over. We helped her get her car out of her driveway one morning and gave her a jumpstart with ours, then she got a few miles down the road and her car died. She wanted money from us to fix it and we told her we don't feel responsible for her car dying so now she is suing us for $950.15 Can you believe how horrible the world is getting? We got some legal advice and the attorney said we would probably have to end up paying her mechanic's bill since it is her word against ours. I don't know if I will ever help anyone out again. Well I probably will but now you don't know who you can trust anymore. People will sue you for looking at them the wrong way I guess. The only thing keeping me strong about this situation now is God. She is also suing us for a full day's lost wages for that one day even though she ended up getting a ride from somebody else to work, she just got there late.

Answer 1

I hardly see how she can sue you if you did the neighborly thing and helped her out and jumped her car - I don't know where you found this attorney at but I think he's got his head up his A**. Let her take you to court - I really don't think she can win a case like that. I mean all you did was put your jumper cables on her car and attached them to your car and then she started her car - right? PEOPLE DO IT ALL THE TIME - she's just trying to get money to buy another car that's all. Don't worry about it - If the Judge has any common sense at all will throw the case out and tell your neighbor that she's a gold digger - then you can laugh at her when you see her. She's probably Ugly too.

Answer 2

You're compassion and forgiveness are being tested.

Look over your shoulder to see if something you've done in the past is comming back to haunt you.

Better to settle out of court if you can diplomaticly approach your neighbor. - There was something wrong with the car obviously before you touched it. You, trying to be a Good Simaratin are really not at fault ... unless your handy work caused greater damage than was originally wrong. - Her day would have been lost moreso if you had not gotten her car that additional distance.

If your neighbor refuses to listen to reason in a calm rational manner, then yes ... state your good will to the judge. Lay the story out in black and white and allow that third party (the Judge) find the truth and make the decision.

Don't let your neighbor make you look negatively on the rest of the world ... most people are greatful for Angels who come to their rescue. Good Luck!

Answer 3

In this case you should trust in the Lord that he will take care of you, regardless of her actions. Love your neighbor and if there is any vengence to be had....God will have it. The Bible tells us to love thy neighbor, not to be foolish. So love this neighbor, forgive them for their misdoings, but do not put yourself in this situation again with them as they are deceitful.

From a legal stand-point, when it gets down to your word against her word, then it becomes a matter of what the judge thinks. On that day we can hope that the Holy Spirit is with the judge and sees that you were loving your neighbor and being a good samaritan....and rules your way. I will pray for you.

Answer 4

In difficult situations like yours, I pray to God. He gives me peace and reminds me to forgive.

I find that, after prayer, not only do I find some love for the person causing me grief, but I am reminded of all the people I run into each day who are kind and compassionate.

It is a crazy world; God helps remind us it is a beautiful world too.

Answer 5

Turn the other cheek as hard as it is pray for a clean heart and give it to God. Folks are nasty out there, but you did a nice thing, so there are nice people out there too. Never give anyone a jump unless they sign a waiver hehe. Calk it up to tiding, Read Matt. several verses that would help.

Answer 6

Forgiveness is the one thing that keeps so many from knowing God or from living out their full potential in Christ. Unable to forgive,Unable to receive Forgiveness. Yes, we as humans can forgive and love our enemy's. You just have to ask God for strength to do so. If God can forgive and love us no matter what we have done or are going to do, then Why can't we?
Good Luck and God Bless!!

Answer 7

This is probably one of the hardest things ever to do. Love your neighbour as yourself, love your enemies, turn the other cheek.

I have a coworker who, when I first started with the company was absolutely rotten to me. I don't have to work with him all the time but when I do I really have to struggle to keep my feelings in check, so I just simply end up ignoring him, which makes me look like a bi+ch, because I speak freely to anyone else.

When my thoughts run away with me about how awful he is and the evil things I'd like to say to him to hurt him, I try to remember that the vibes (positive or negative) that I put into the universe come back to me in one form or another. So I try to put a better feeling thought on the situation. I try to conceptualize what might have been going on in his mind or his life that he felt the need to hurt me and abuse a new employee. (We work in a factory and he was the temp team leader and would not relieve me for washroom breaks, as he is supposed to. Being new I could not say anything about it because I was not yet protected by our union.) I know that he's divorced and has custody issues with his kids. I know that he lives with another woman and her kids live with them full time, which can't be easy. I don't know. Maybe I reminded him of he ex somehow?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is easier to find forgiveness if you can try to put yourself in the other person's shoes and figure out what their frame of mind is in doing this. People usually don't feel like they have done anything wrong, given their frame of reference of the world.

There's a great book called Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilabagiza, who was one of few survivors of the Rwandan genocide from '94. Her book is about how she found God during this time and how she found room in her heart to forgive those who murdered all of her family and friends. If she can do it, so can we.

It could be that this person has come into your life, sent by God, specifically to teach you the virtue of forgiveness.

Answer 8

to love someone or care about them when they have put hateful thoughts into your head and heart is not easy,yet if you can find this common thing between you both it does make it easier....first thing,both are humans,second that this is what all humans have in common,it does not matter how bad a person is,they still,want to be happy and healthy just like you,they worry also at the end of the day like you,they sleep and eat,and someone loves and care for them,just like someone cares for you...this, humans have in common,it is the bases that makes our enemies more human and less monster like,good luck.-

Answer 9

Have you heard of "tough love." Loving someone doesn't mean that you give them everything they want. Loving someone doesn't mean that justice goes out the window. Loving your neighbor means to treat them with love -- consider your actions and words carefully before responding to their provocations.

In other words, practice self-restraint at all times.

Answer 10

We can't love our enemies, because we are human. Only God has this knowledge, therefore, he or she or it, is the only capable to do that. I think we can feel sorry for some people be or have a undeveloped mind, or lower mind.