When Jesus taught on a hillside one day, He said something that made people’s jaws drop. Everyone had grown up hearing “love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” That sounded fair. Reasonable, even. Love the good guys, hate the bad guys.

But Jesus essentially said, “Love your enemies. Bless the ones who are mean to you. Pray for the ones who make your life hard.” That’s not normal. That’s not what anybody wants to do or does naturally. Which is exactly why it’s so powerful.

Jonah struggled with this one badly. When the people of Nineveh listened to his message and turned back to God, God decided not to punish them. And Jonah got angry. Like really angry. Jonah wanted God to forgive him when he ran away, but Jonah did not want God forgiving the people of Ninevah.

Jonah missed the truth that what God has done for us, we’re supposed to do for others. God forgave you when you didn’t deserve it. So you’re supposed to give that same forgiveness to someone else. Think about the kid who spread a rumor about you, or made fun of your shoes, or never lets you into the game. What would happen if you were kind to them anyway? Not fake-kind. Actually kind. It might not fix everything overnight. But it will change you, and it might just change them.

Take Action: Pick the person on your “hard to love” list and do one small thing for them this week. Say hi first in the hallway. Compliment something specific. Share your snack. Then pray for them by name that night. Do it three days in a row and see if anything changes.