I asked God to bring about the best possible outcomes for all of us so that He could be glorified.įriend, it was not by my own strength that I prayed these prayers. I prayed that God would help me to forgive them, and to be set free from the bitterness that had taken root. I prayed for their eyes to be opened and hearts to be softened to the love of Christ and for the Holy Spirit to work within them. I prayed for the places where they were broken to be healed, so they wouldn’t hurt others the way that they had hurt me. While I started praying for myself, I ended up praying not just for me, and how I was feeling, but also for Nichole and Marie. Then the strangest thing began to happen. My heart was filled with righteous indignation and I was certain that the Lord had my back on this one. One night around 2 am, after a particularly good fake conversation in my mind where I really stuck it to them, I began to pray for justice. I had lost not just one friend, but two, and there was nothing I could do about it. I cried big tears of frustration and grief. I would lie awake, replaying conversations in my mind looking for ways that I could clear the air and change how Marie saw me. It kept me up at night and chipped away at my self-confidence. I’m not one to go down without a fight, so not having a chance to defend myself and put certain people in their places was a special kind of torture. I am a peacemaker at heart and I want everyone to get along, but I’m also a bit scrappy. There would be no chance for me to set the record straight, no hope for justice, and certainly no apology.Īs someone who prides herself on being friendly, I don’t enjoy having an enemy. When I tried to reach out to her, I was given a cold shoulder in return. I sought her approval and wanted to have a good relationship with her. She had a little bit of a reputation for being less than honest.īut I looked up to Marie. I knew Nichole well and had learned to be a little cautious in our friendship. And another dear friend (I’ll call her Marie) had believed her without a second thought. I struggled to process the harsh reality in front of me: an old friend (I’ll call her Nichole) was spreading lies about me in an effort to save face. How could someone who had known me for so long, believe lies about me? I could feel my cheeks flush as a shockwave of anger spread across my face, and through my chest, before it fell like a rock in my stomach. Heart Stuff, Prayer Why Should We Pray For Our Enemies?
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