The Real Enemy
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Love your enemies. Sounds very noble, but the reality can be gut-wrenching, especially when the “enemy” is someone who has been a close friend or loved one. To forgive, to extend grace to someone close who has betrayed you is one of the toughest challenges of the Christian life. And the most powerful. In The Hunger Games (books and movies) there are creatures called muttations or “mutts,” created from the DNA of wolves but with the appearance of friends and comrades of the heroes. The main characters have to fight and kill those who look like their friends. There have been situations in my life when it seemed like I was being attacked by an enemy who had taken on the form of my friend or family member. The Bible reminds us of the spiritual reality behind what we see with our physical eyes: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the ruler...