Just a few weeks ago, my daughter texted me that she needed her passport. Her dad, it seems, is flying the family down to Mexico for a resort vacation this spring . This text, coming during a lean time for us, and after years of soul-scorching hard times, seemed particularly painful.
I’ll admit, I’m pretty used to ex-Ray being the absent father who was just as likely to be in a bar as in a car coming to pick up his children for the weekend. I was accustomed to him losing jobs and getting arrested and living with his mom because he couldn’t take care of himself.
But that’s not who he is now. He’s stopped drinking, he has a nice home and decent children and hobbies that have nothing to do with drinking and drugs, and he’s built a stable relationship with our daughters. He has a good life and for the first time he’s taking a long vacation.
Quite by accident, through formerly mutual friends, I learned that another person with whom I had a significant relationship seems to have achieved everything he wanted. In fact, it sounds as though this man has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. I was surprised at how much this hurt, even though I am thankful I’ll never see the person again.
Then I remembered that all this news is answers to prayers I prayed for them for many years.
For each of these people, as I struggled with pain and forgiveness and anger, I was bound again and again back to the Bible passages in Luke 6:28. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
I remember squirming under that commandment. I remember wondering how the heck you actually bless someone, assuming I was willing to bless them. OK, I’d act as though I was willing, and eventually I’d BE willing, right?
To bless means to invoke divine care for, to speak well of, to confer prosperity or happiness upon. So I used to pray that God would bless their work and their families, that He would divinely protect them, that he would prosper all they did and give them the happiness they desired. I did this on the days I was willing and the days I was not. I widened my circle to others who had hurt, mistreated, or offended my family, and the blessings have spread.
Look at the results…who knew that God would answer so richly prayers like these? Maybe these people owe me some thanks. Maybe not. But just know that if you have hurt me, and something good has happened to you, I might have been praying for it.
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