Love the politician on the ‘other’ side? Yes!
After months of being consumed by anger at a high-profile politician, a woman realized something had to change. Looking to Jesus’ example brought inspiration that replaced her hatred with peace and hope for the direction of her country overall.
A few years ago, a high-profile politician did something I thought was reprehensible. Every time I thought of his actions, saw him on TV, or read about him, I felt extremely angry. (So, because this person was featured so widely in the news media, I was feeling angry pretty much all the time!)
After several months of this anger, I felt a different tug in my thought. It was a gentle urging to be healed of these feelings. While this politician had done things that I didn’t agree with, the decision to let my feelings of anger go unchallenged had been mine alone.
I’ve always found it helpful and healing to follow Jesus’ example, and it further came to me that this wasn’t how Jesus handled similar situations. The love Jesus expressed was natural. It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t reluctant. It was the result of following the good and loving God, and letting God’s love heal the situations that needed it.
I found that I wanted to express this kind of love – even to this individual that I’d never met. I prayed for a way forward.
Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, wrote an article called “Love Your Enemies” that appears in her book “Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896.” I prayed with the ideas in this section in particular:
“I would enjoy taking by the hand all who love me not, and saying to them, ‘I love you, and would not knowingly harm you.’ Because I thus feel, I say to others: Hate no one; for hatred is a plague-spot that spreads its virus and kills at last. If indulged, it masters us; brings suffering upon suffering to its possessor, throughout time and beyond the grave” (pp. 11-12).
My hatred had brought me no joy. I knew that the only way to feel settled and peaceful concerning this man was to “not knowingly harm” him. I thought more about how I could do this. Christian Science explains that as our divine creator, God is steadfast and loves and cares for all of us. This included that politician, too.
Shouldn’t I be doing the same? Couldn’t I strive to see this man as God did: as spiritual, made to express God’s nature through qualities such as intelligence and honesty? What a shift in thought! Going forward, when I saw or heard about this person on the news, I worked to see him as God did and looked for these Godlike qualities in his words and actions.
Within about a week of this change in thought, I could hear this individual’s name, listen to him speak, and think of him with appreciation rather than anger. With this came a greater admiration for his leadership skills and a lasting feeling of peace.
About a year later, I was out for dinner and this politician walked into the restaurant and sat at a table near me to eat. I was grateful to find that the angry feelings of the past were gone even when seeing him in person.
Letting anger at anyone – even someone we don’t know – consume our thinking can fool us into failing to follow Jesus’ command and example to love others. But God loves all of us, and we can be freed from hatred when we seek to love as impartially as God does.
Some more great ideas! To read or listen to an article in the weekly Christian Science Sentinel on overcoming obstacles to unity titled “Conquering our common enemy,” please click through to www.JSH-Online.com. There is no paywall for this content.