“L is for Loser.” My son came home the other day saying he had a bad day. He was in line to go in for recess and the boy behind him said, “You know why your name starts with an L? L for loser!” and then he apparently kicked him multiple times in the leg.
I had mixed emotions creep into my body at that moment: sadness for my son, anger towards the boy, new distrust towards the teachers, etc. I paused a second, asking him calmly if he was okay and telling him I was sorry that had happened to him. I clarified the logistics of seeing if there was a two-way altercation and ensuring teachers were told and responded etc.
Then, I asked him if he knew what the Bible said about our enemies. After he shook his head no, I explained that Jesus told us to love our enemies. He looked at me and said, “Why the heck would I do that?” Great question! This is not an easy teaching for any of us, and a child is certainly no exception. He had just been called a name and kicked multiple times for no apparent reason. I was sad for this other boy as we talked more, hearing how he gets in trouble all day long. So, instead of answering the question, I flipped it on my kids. “That is a great question. Why do you think Jesus told us to love our enemies?” I asked. After a couple, I don’t know, they had some good thoughts:
-Maybe because He loves all His children, so the enemy is also His child
-Maybe because enemies need love, too
-Maybe if you love them, they become nice
I encouraged them that it was not easy to do, even if it was what we were supposed to do, and if it could bring good changes. We need help to love our enemies. We can pray and ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help us to show love to hard people. We can also start by praying for them in private for blessing and that they would feel safe and loved. How do you help your kids when others hurt them?