“. . . I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  

When I first looked at my reflection assignment, I was struck by God’s timing in seeing to it that I got this set of scriptures.  For at this very moment, I find myself  struggling with just this issue.  What follows is the prayer of lament that poured out of me as I reflected upon God’s call to not only love those who love us in return, but to love those who do us harm.    

Love my enemies—

God,
where and how do I get the strength to do that
--in the face of such ugliness and antagonism,
--in the face of such violence to my being,
--in the face of such abusive power and injustice
--not just to me…
but, more importantly,
to those whose voices I seek to make heard?

I just don’t know, God…
You ask so much.
And today it feels like too much.
I feel so alone
…and hurt
…and betrayed
…and angry
…and….??

Yet, there is nowhere to go.
I cannot walk away.
You who made me
didn’t give me the “wiring” to do so.
Instead, you placed within my heart
the flame of justice 
and a sense of profound love
for the marginalized.
You wrote on the fiber of my being
an indelible commitment 
to the voices and lives 
obscured and drowned out
by the loud clatter
of invisible power and privilege.

God, you graced me
with this enormous sense of responsibility
to use my gifts and skills
to do justice
—to cause (or try to cause) others to see
the effects of what they do.
But, today it does not feel like grace,
It feels like a curse,
a knife striking 
at the heart of my soul.

God, what do I do with the pain…
and the anger
at what is being done?
God, how do I love my enemies?  
Take my hand,
show me the way.
At this moment, 
I know not
how to do as you ask. 

I pray it may be so.