Love Your Enemies

​​​by Adam Kronberger / Head of School

Due to my math and science background and a personality type that prefers routine, I am fond of algorithms: a set of rules to complete a task.  One of the greatest routine commands from God is to “love your enemies.” Now you might think as a school administrator, I am predisposed to a plethora of enemies.

Actually, the Crosshill community of parents and students continues to bless and encourage me on a daily basis.  Still, I have opportunity as everyone else does to have enemies, either in circumstance or attitude.  We are all compelled to love our enemies.  Let’s look at a practical way to fulfill this command.

The key is to understand how we should love.  We should love others as we love ourselves.  Well, how exactly do we love ourselves?  Let’s be honest here.  Do we love ourselves because we are perfectly nice? Perfectly attractive? Perfectly kind?  Perfectly pure? Feeling bad yet?  The list goes on.  We can’t possibly love ourselves because of our deeds or natural inclinations because ultimately we miss the mark.  In fact, it may be easier to list the items we hate about ourselves rather than the things we love.

So if we hate our individual shortcomings so much, how do we love ourselves?  We love ourselves because we are made in the image of God, after His own likeness, and we intrinsically know we have value.  In fact, it is easy for us to love ourselves while hating the sin we do.  It is this understanding that can allow us to exercise the same love toward others, especially our enemies. If we can successfully love ourselves knowing all the sin we do, how much more can we love others when we only see a glimpse of their fallen nature?

Finally, if you struggle to feel loved by God, it is a struggle you will certainly (and gratefully) lose.  You are loved.  You belong to Him.  You were bought at a price.  He died just for you and He won’t take it back.  God’s love does not exist because we say it does.  It exists because it does. You are loved. 
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– Adam Kronberger / Head of School