Fall 2009 40-Day Fast, October 20, Day 4: The cloak of blessing

Yesterday’s post cited Paul’s Letter to the Romans, who to bless and how to bless, and specifically how to respond to evil (Romans 12:9-21). It’s very practical advice that ends with if your enemy is hungry, feed him, thirsty give him something to drink, overcome evil with good.

  Practical advice that sounds easy enough. But is it easy? I don’t think so, especially since often the people whom we consider our enemies are those whom we feel have hurt us, harmed us, left us angry, sad, and cheated.

  But it’s not only Paul who writes this. Jesus himself says:

  38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:38-41)

  We want to say to Jesus, “It’s not fair!” If we feel hurt, why should we have to turn the other cheek? If we’ve been cheated, why should we let them cheat us more? Why can’t we just leave them alone and let them leave us alone? They already have our tunic, why give away our cloak?

  I was thinking a lot about this today because this morning, God told me how to go the extra mile with someone who stood on the other side of the fence from me, someone, to borrow Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:11, who had insult me, persecuted me and falsely said all kinds of evil against me.

  Yesterday, God asked me to bless this person and then gave me an in-your-face opportunity to do that, which I did, and which blessed me. Today, God then asked me to bless that person again—this time not with a hard to ignore immediate situation, but instead showing me the opportunity then asking me to go out of my way to take the initiative. Yesterday, he put that person directly in my path and said, “Here, bless him.” Today, he said, “Here’s another opportunity that will make you go out of your way, that will require you to track him down yourself and bless him.”

  But my cloak, Lord, my cloak! I protested, then gave it away anyway.

  And then I discovered something. After I did it, I felt good, I felt fine. In fact, I felt better than fine, I felt filled. I discovered I didn’t need my cloak! I wasn’t cold. The thing that I had held onto so tightly for years to cover me, keep me warm, be my protection, hide under, give me dignity, show me self-worth, make me blend in with everyone else…wasn’t necessary. I didn’t need it anymore – once I gave it away.

  The opportunity to bless our enemies often comes cloaked. We don’t recognize it for what it is. We think it will be hard and cost us too much, when in the end it doesn’t cost us a thing.

  Pamela A. Chun
©October 20, 2009
Please reprint only with permission.

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