As human beings, we naturally become perturbed with people who oppose us or who just plain aren't nice. But as my 6 year old daughter says, "Jesus didn't say 'love people unless they are mean.' He said, 'Love your enemies. Do good to them.'" She's a smart girl. (See Luke 6:27-28.)

When we obey, God does amazing things.

For example, last December atheist Patrick Greene attacked threatened to sue over the presence of a nativity scene in Texas. But in March, a church in the area learned he had a serious eye condition that could cause blindness. In obedience to Jesus, they reached out to Greene and provided him with groceries to get him through this difficult time. Now this month, it's reported Greene has accepted Christ - much to the surprise of his still-atheist wife.

And while mature Christians will disagree with some of Greene's ideas about the Bible (as reported in the news account above), I think we can all agree that going from an angry atheist to a follower of Christ is a radical transformation - one that came about because a group of Christians followed Jesus' powerful word.



So next time a Christ-hater makes you want to slug 'em, take a deep breath, remember Jesus' commandments, and ask that God make it possible for you to affect that person in a life changing way: Through love.

UPDATE 5/8/12: Apparently, Greene's conversation wasn't authentic. In a recent news story, he says it lasted less than a week; the reporter says Greene was moved by his enemies' love and "merely captivated by the intensity and excitement of the situation." However, this essence of this post is still true: By obeying God by loving our enemies, we help others - and ourselves - open up to God's greatness.