Grace That Doesn't Make Sense
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” – Matthew 5:44
We all have or know someone who makes life harder. Maybe it is someone who has talked behind your back, mistreated you, rejected you, or just keeps making the same choices that test your patience. When you think of them, the idea of love is not the first thing that comes to mind. And yet Jesus calls us to something that feels completely unnatural. He asks us not just to tolerate these people, but to love them.
Loving someone who has hurt you is not about agreeing with what they did. It is not about pretending nothing happened. It is about choosing to respond in a way that reflects the grace you have received from God. That kind of response will never come from your own strength. It only comes through the power of the Holy Spirit working inside you.
What if this week, you stopped avoiding the person who hurt you and chose to bless them instead? That does not mean you need to enter back into unhealthy relationships or put yourself in harm’s way. It does mean you choose to act with love, even if they never deserved it. Speak life over them. Pray God would bless them. Forgive them even if they never say they are sorry. Send an encouraging note, or a gift, or even just a message that reminds them you are still choosing grace over bitterness.
That kind of act will feel costly. It will feel unfair. But that is exactly what makes it powerful. When Jesus loved His enemies, it did not make sense to the world either. It still does not. But it changes hearts. It turns walls into bridges. And it might just bring healing to both sides of the story.
You do not have to feel ready. You just have to be willing. If you invite the Holy Spirit to help you, He will. And what you thought was impossible might become a testimony of grace that never would have happened any other way.
We all have or know someone who makes life harder. Maybe it is someone who has talked behind your back, mistreated you, rejected you, or just keeps making the same choices that test your patience. When you think of them, the idea of love is not the first thing that comes to mind. And yet Jesus calls us to something that feels completely unnatural. He asks us not just to tolerate these people, but to love them.
Loving someone who has hurt you is not about agreeing with what they did. It is not about pretending nothing happened. It is about choosing to respond in a way that reflects the grace you have received from God. That kind of response will never come from your own strength. It only comes through the power of the Holy Spirit working inside you.
What if this week, you stopped avoiding the person who hurt you and chose to bless them instead? That does not mean you need to enter back into unhealthy relationships or put yourself in harm’s way. It does mean you choose to act with love, even if they never deserved it. Speak life over them. Pray God would bless them. Forgive them even if they never say they are sorry. Send an encouraging note, or a gift, or even just a message that reminds them you are still choosing grace over bitterness.
That kind of act will feel costly. It will feel unfair. But that is exactly what makes it powerful. When Jesus loved His enemies, it did not make sense to the world either. It still does not. But it changes hearts. It turns walls into bridges. And it might just bring healing to both sides of the story.
You do not have to feel ready. You just have to be willing. If you invite the Holy Spirit to help you, He will. And what you thought was impossible might become a testimony of grace that never would have happened any other way.
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