When you’ve been hurt by someone, it can be hard to forgive. The pain inflicted on you may prompt you to want to exact revenge on them. Bitterness may stir in your heart from the injustice you experienced.
It can be hard to understand God’s love and even harder to apply it to our own life. In Matthew 5, Jesus teaches a new way to approach people we may view as our enemies—people we want to get back at for the way they treated us. He challenges us “to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (44, NASB).” When the pain you feel is so deep, you may find this difficult to do.
Yet Jesus went on to say in the next verse that God’s love is not selective: “He (God) causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (45).” When the sun rises in the morning, you can see for yourself that its light touches everyone, not just you. When the rains come, they fall on everyone, not just your yard, your friends, or followers of Jesus.
God’s love is the same way. It is intended for everyone, including people who may have deeply hurt you. In the same way God sends sunlight and rain on all people, He sends His love. As followers of Jesus, we should maintain a loving attitude, even though there may be situations where we need to keep our distance from that person for our own safety.
I am reminded that God chose to love me even when I felt distant from Him.
140 Character Christian 