Ouch.

So, I’m in this book study on Monday nights with some people from church. We’re reading, discussing and arguing about this:

Though I don’t agree with everything the author has said so far, I was struck by this paragraph yesterday:

“Jesus’ teaching…is not merely that we are to act lovingly toward our enemy while we clench our teeth. No, we are to genuinelylove them, and one’s ability and willingness to do this is the most distinctive manifestation of the reign of God in one’s life. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that [this means] ‘avoiding not only external physical violence but also violence of spirit. The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate him.'”

Ouch. If the “most distinctive manifestation of the reign of God” in my life is how genuinely I love people, especially my enemies, I’ve got a lot to work on!

“This helps us to see something so new, so against what we have heard said, that we cannot rely on our older images of what is and what is not.”

I’ve seen something new. No turning back now…