Living in Peace

It’s an easy and natural thing to be kind to those who are genuinely kind to us. However, it is one of the most difficult tests of my Christianity to be kind and understanding to those who aren’t kind and who treat us poorly. The Bible tells us to treat even our enemies with brotherly and sisterly love — a tough task to remember at times. And not only are we to love our enemies, the scriptures tell us that this love must be sincere. Now the going is really getting tough! We are to feed our enemy when he is hungry, and live in peace with everyone.

Oh . . . is it really possible??

How joyful was I to experience this lesson of living in peace soon after we moved to Northern Virginia. It involved a neighbor who, at the time, was living a very different life than that of mine. After visiting with her a few times, it became clear that she didn’t appreciate our company and went out of her way to make negative comments about us to mutual neighbors. Being a mother of two very young children, coming into a new area, seeking companionship from others, it stung to be so quickly ostracized from part of the neighborhood.

Seeking solace, answers and comfort from the Bible, I happened across words in Romans Chapter 12 about “Love.” I decided that the best way to handle our situation was to live out the words I was reading. It took a lot of prayerful reflection to get to the point where I could honestly feel that I was following the words of the Lord by “sincerely loving my enemy.” It also took many, many months of biding time, living as a Christian neighbor, waiting for a change to occur.

And a change did occur because not long afterward, I felt at peace, honestly living as God would have me live, and I was able to let go of the hurt that had taken hold of me. What a wonderful gift to receive at that time of my life. Then, when I least expected it, I received another surprise . . . the neighbor whose actions had been so hurtful began to change. Ever so slowly, our friendship began to blossom, and bit by bit, we gained insight into the other’s life to the point where we realized we weren’t so different after all. We began to share conversations, which led to an occasional lunch and even a family dinner together.

Praise God for his guidance found in the comforting and instructional words of the Bible! Today, I can truly say that I count this woman as an integral part of my neighborhood “family.”

— Anonymous