“But I say to you who hear [Me and pay attention to My words]: Love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, [make it a practice to] do good to those who hate you, bless and show kindness to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Luke 6:27-28
Jesus wants… He needs us to desire to go deeper, to see others with His eyes and the love and empathy He has for all people. Jesus doesn’t just love when His Children obey Him, He loves unconditionally like all parents should, and He loves the unlovable, not looking at appearances and judging based on what He sees. There is much more to each person, ourselves included. And, yes, He knows exactly what He is asking of us. He knows the hurts and wrongs that were done, and the pain and suffering at other’s hands.
Jesus is asking us to let these things go and lay them at the foot of The Cross. He is not asking for us to do this on our own, because most of us are not capable to do this. He is asking the we take hold of His Hand and take a step forward with Him. He’s asking us to go beyond ourselves, understanding how heavy our feet feel as we lift them to stay in step. Move forward with Jesus, and don’t keep turning back. Don’t look to take hold of the past hurts again. Don’t. Step forward with Jesus and each step won’t be as heavy as the last.
Love as Jesus loves and it will free you to become everything Jesus has always longed for you to be. He knows it’s not easy, and he also knows that we can do this. Because Jesus is faithful and true to His Word and is with us in every moment, we can.