Everybody, Always

after they have been awful to us. Maybe we could even forgive someone,
at least on the surface, for a deep hurt they caused. Doing things like
these have been the high-water mark we only hit once in a while, if at all.
Our problem following Jesus is we’re trying to be a better version of
us, rather than a more accurate reflection of Him. I’ve met very few
people who didn’t like Jesus. I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s easy to admire
Jesus and think He’s a nice guy. But there’s a big difference between
liking Jesus and being like Him, and He said we would never be able to be
like Him unless we loved our enemies.
I’ve never wondered if someone could be perfect. I don’t mean
someone like Jesus, of course, but someone like you and me. I’ve never
even heard of anyone jumping out of bed in the morning and saying their
goal for the day was to be perfect. When I met Sweet Maria I remember
thinking she was perfect, but I knew she really wasn’t. I had a job once I
thought was perfect for me and it was a great job, but honestly, it wasn’t
perfect. We don’t think perfect is possible, so we just nod and agree
rather than do the heavy lifting Jesus talked about to get there.
The idea that we could be perfect like our Father in heaven sounds
like a beautiful idea but not something we could ever really achieve. I
wonder if God thought loving our enemies would be just as hard. Perhaps
instead of an impossible task in our lives, it’s the report card on our faith.
Maybe God made loving Him and our enemies the easiest way to tell
whether we just agree with Jesus or if we want to be perfect like Him.
No doubt, Kabi was my enemy. But he was also my chance to become
more like Jesus. And now I had a courageous teacher who was only four
feet tall to guide me.