I’ve always loved going outside right after a rain. Most people hate going out while the ground is still wet, but one of my favorite things to do is to lace up a pair of waterproof boots and go feel the fresh air. I always loved how it felt like the entire earth had been washed and bathed with a shampoo so sweet that not the most expensive perfume would match it. With the sky so near it seems you can reach out and brush the soft gray coils, and the peacefulness. It feels like that at least for a few minutes all the dirt and grime and hate has been washed from the world. It’s a relief to go outside then, it gives me hope. Hope that maybe the world isn’t as lost a cause as it seems. That maybe people can learn to love everybody instead of always trying to find the ‘right’ person to hate. It kills me how this world has become so twisted in anger: everything has been turned black and white, when everybody is truly just a shade of gray. The main line of thought is if you agree with me, you're right. If you don’t, it’s expected for me to hate you fiercely, but I hate that. We aren’t supposed to hate each other, we need to love each other.

       We can’t fight fire with fire and expect things to simmer down. It’s always easier to reply to violence In turn and think we are justified and simply giving a person what they deserve. Now, don’t get me wrong, if somebody does something awful they need to be punished. That’s how we learn from our mistakes, but hating them is never right. As Christians, it’s very easy to get confused, as there are many Bible verses calling us ‘warriors’ (e.g, 2 Samuel 10:12, 1 John 5:4, Psalms 18:39, and so on) yet even more telling us to be kind and gentle. Now, I confess I am only fourteen so I may not do the best job, but I am going to explain this the best I can.

       “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12, one of my favorite verses, and I’m going to try and explain it a bit. It clearly says, in the first few words, our struggle is not against ‘flesh and blood’ or, in plainer terms, humans. Therefore, we are not to hate and fight against or battle our fellow humans: that is not what our war is against! Unlike many sayings, the quote “hate the sin, not the sinner” is actually very true. We are called not to hate and try to destroy the sinner, after all we are all sinners and no better, but the sin.

       However, how are we to do this? It’s actually quite simple, although it can be pretty hard to do. We must love our enemies, just as Jesus did. You want to attract attention for Jesus? Try walking up to someone from the political party that’s the polar opposite of yours and saying hi. That will draw attention!

       In all seriousness, this is how we will fight for Jesus. Not the way the world fights, against those that sin, but to fight against those sins by continuing to love those who commit them. Instead of going along with the hate and anger the world has, and getting revenge on those that have wronged others, reach out to them and love them. Now, that is not to say that you should condone their actions, what kind of a friend would you be if you let them continue in the wrong without a single world? The best thing to do is confront them, tell them you don’t agree with them, tell them you will still love them, and treat them like your words are true. Over time, when they see how kind you act and how happy you seem, they will want that for themselves. Who knows? You may even win a soul for Jesus, by fighting to do the one thing the world hates.

        Loving your enemies.