Everybody, Always

I try to absolutely terrify them. By the looks of their big eyes and body
language, it usually works.
Because I’m learning about loving my enemies, I don’t stop there.
People who are becoming love don’t just use tough talk; they do difficult
things. So after I scare the wits out of the witch doctors, I get on my
knees and I wash their feet. When I do, I don’t know who’s more freaked
out—them or me. I’m guessing me, because I’m not a toe guy. Here’s the
thing: loving people the way Jesus did either changes everything in us or
it changes nothing. It can’t just change a couple of things. But, it can
change a couple of things at a time. If you want to become love, what will
it change for you?
We’re all learning about loving our enemies. Draw a circle around
yourself and go love the people in that circle. Fill it with difficult people,
the ones you’ve been avoiding, the ones you disagree with, the ones who
are hard to get along with. Go find a couple of witch doctors.
I bring my friends with me now when I meet with witch doctors.
Honestly, it’s blowing our minds. Gregg has been a friend of mine for
years, and we’ve traveled together to Uganda dozens of times. After he
washed the feet of one of the witch doctors, the witch doctor kneeled and
asked Gregg if he could now wash his feet. I watched this go down from
across the room. It was a beautiful, tear-filled moment for us all. The
witch doctor was just as blown away at what was happening as Gregg
was. I think this is exactly the kind of stuff Jesus talked about when He
said we needed to love our enemies. Jesus said being right with Him
meant loving people who got things wrong.
On one trip, before we left, I asked the new leader of the witch
doctors what they needed. I was surprised by the answer. He said, “People
think we have power, so they want us around, but they don’t really like
us, so we’re very isolated.” I told him I was a lawyer and knew exactly
how he felt.
“But most of us don’t even know how to read or write,” he continued.
Loving your enemies doesn’t just mean learning about them or being