Do you love your enemies? Why is it so hard?

Answer 1

It is easier to not have enemies.

Answer 2

Because it's not always rational is it?

I've been out of the Army for almost 30 years, but say I'm a Christian in combat in Fallujah. Some of my enemies need to die. Loving the man shooting at my Bradley with an RPG is less useful than killing him before he kills me or my entire squad. Some of us can kill without hating and some can't. Is that really worse than feeling nothing? Whatever gets you home I would think. I don't think meditating on how my heart is overflowing with the sweet love of Jesus for the Jihadi with a Dragunov will help me or the other soldiers I am responsible for. It's a worst case scenario I know, but loving your enemies is often just not appropriate.

Answer 3

No, I don't love my enemies and I don't see the point in doing so. People often talk about how we can only know happiness once we know suffering, that otherwise the meaning of that happiness is lost. I feel the same way about love. If I have to love everyone, friend or foe, the meaning of love is lost. I am able to empathize with enemies and sometimes even show them compassion, but I will never love them.

Answer 4

Enemies can be in your own home -- a hateful mother, jealous sisters, abusive husband, etc. Enemies can be people you've never met but hate your skin color. Enemies can be evil spirits. And worse of all, YOU (yourself) can be your own worse enemy.

If you only love those who love you, how are you able to exercise love? Isn't that how true love is displayed? To give to those who most certainly don't deserve it makes you the bigger person and exemplify God's image. But there is also a time to stand up for yourself and not be abused. God loves all mankind; however, there definitely is a cutoff to his kindness/understanding and it will end. He will show love for the righteous by ending wickedness where the innocent suffer.

Answer 5

Do I love my enemies? short answer is no. I don't throw the word "love" around, when I use it, I mean it. Love to me is an overpowering emotion that I cannot live without.

Different question...Do I respect my enemies? yes. I respect all people. Respect is different than love. Everyone has a point of view. No one thinks they themselves are evil or bad. All people have their own perspective on things and in some cases, their perspective and mine do not mix. Does that mean that I should hate them for having an opinion that differs from mine? no.

I do not actually like Billy Graham because I do not like the way he preaches or treats his parishoners. Do I hate him? No. Do I respect his beliefs even tho they are different from mine? yes.

Answer 6

We are collectivly humanity. We have similiar if not the same orgins.
Once people start picking, choosing, differentiating, saying this is better than that etc.; we start seperation and therefore friends and enemies. Because we like or dislike different things.
We need to end this. I believe that accepting one's enemy is being able to see yourself reflected in that person. We all are children of this planet, we live and die here together.

Answer 7

No, I don't love my enemies. But I don't hate them either, at least not permanently hate them. It's difficult to love your enemies because they have hurt you in some way and nobody likes to be hurt. I just choose to learn from the situations and move on.....keeping them out of my life.

Answer 8

Loving your enemies has nothing to do with liking them, or being glad to be around them. It just means that you wish that nothing bad happens to them. In other words, in spite of the fact that you dislike them, you wish them well.

It is difficult, because if you don't like someone, human nature makes you want to see something bad happen to them. This is wrong, even though it is natural. You shouldn't hate anyone.

When you hate a person, you wish evil on them. That is wrong.

Answer 9

Yes, as Christians we're called to have a heart like Jesus' and He loved us so much that He died for us. Its hard because we' re human and as long as we're in these bodies we'll always struggle with that, but with faith and the help of Christ its not impossible to have that love for people. Just always remember with God on your side, who can be against you.

as for the comment that Jesus didnt love all his enemies, if that was the case why did He cry out, "Father forgive them" while hanging on the cross??

Answer 10

Why is it so hard? Because it goes against our natural self.

Your enemy is whoever crosses your will. (spouse, sibling, child, neighbor, co-worker) Only God has the power to love enemies (He loved us while we were still sinners) and we are blessed in that He wants to give us the power to do the same.

Answer 11

I make my enemies friends and teachers. It's not hard really... you just have to let go of grasping to your own concepts of the way you perceive the world... i.e. soften up. A lot of those you perceive as "enemies" aren't really all that bad, they just challenge our sense of self or our ideas and it makes us mad. When we soften up and let go of the grasping and attachments in our own minds that make us think our ideas are only the correct ones, we begin to see things vastly different... we can develop compassion for those who think differently and we find the only TRUE "enemy" is our aversions, grasping and attachments. Try it, you'll like it... trust me. It made ME a lot calmer.

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