Loving Those Who Hurt Us

"Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, 

but up to seventy times seven." 

- Matthew 18: 21-22

.

I've got a dear friend who is going through one of the deepest pains that anyone could ever face. And in the midst of her pain, she has chosen to keep loving the person who has hurt her. The other night she looked at me, and said: "Why do I do that? Why do I keep loving people who hurt me? Why can't I be mean?" And I looked her in the eye, and said: "Because God told you to turn the other cheek, and you listened! You're being obedient!"

. 

As Christians, we aren't supposed to look like the world. We aren't supposed to love like the world. We aren't supposed to forgive like the world. We are supposed to reflect Christ, and He never did fit in here on earth. Christ was radical, living very differently than those around Him. 

The world would tell us to turn our back on those who hurt us, but Christ calls us to keep offering love. The world would tell us that love is temporary, and you can move on to the next fish in the sea, but to God, marriage is a holy union, and it isn't temporary. The world would tell you to hold a grudge, to get revenge, and to fight back when others hurt us, but Christ tells us to let it go, to forgive, and to keep forgiving over and over and over again. 

We are called to look different. 

But what happens when Christians fall into the same selfish trap that the world is in? What happens when our attitudes reflect pop culture more than The God within us? What happens when our hearts are broken, and we lose sight of what's really true? 

.

This is when we have to go back to our Rock, The One who demonstrated pure love, true forgiveness, and a humble heart. We have to go back to Christ, and His words for us. 

As I said, Christ was different. He came into this world, and immediately, He didn't fit in. He taught radical lessons: forgive those who hurt you, turn the other cheek, don't store up riches on earth, don't look at the outside of a person, but the inside, love unconditionally. These lessons He taught were new, and were hard for people to understand, and sometimes, they still are. 

When Peter asked: "How many times should I forgive, LORD?" I think He was hoping for an out. He was hoping for a release, and we all know what that's like. We've all been there. But Jesus turns and says: "Always forgive". 

The human side of us wants to seek revenge, wants to do anything to feel better, even if just for a moment. But our spiritual hearts know better. Because as Christians, Christ has changed us, and our hearts now reflect Him, and these radical teachings. We are not content living as the world lives, and eventually, we must go back to Christ, and find our truth in Him. 

. 

He will help us live better. He will help us love better. He will help us forgive better. 

And when we go to Him, and obey His teachings, our hearts will always find peace.