A woman sued her husband for divorce. She told the judge she had nagged and nagged, but she couldn't get him to do right. The judge wondered if she had tried using kindness. Referring to the biblical passage, which says that when we show kindness to our enemy it is like heaping "burning coals on his head," he asked her if she had tried heaping coals on his head.

She answered, "No, but I don't think it will work. I already tried scalding water and that didn't do any good."

I'm not sure this woman understood the concept of showing kindness. But I think it's something we all struggle with. Showing kindness to our enemies has to be one of the toughest things that Jesus taught and one of his teachings which we are most inclined to resist.

We all know from experience how hard it is to love our enemy. It's hard enough at times to love our husband and wife and children. It can be difficult to love people that you like and who like you. It's another thing entirely to talk about loving someone that you don't like and who doesn't like you. And it seems almost impossible to love someone who does ugly and hurtful things to you.

And yet Jesus taught,

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good
to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.... For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same?"
(Matthew 5:44-46)

As Jesus points out, when we love those who love us, we're on the same level as everyone else in the world. Anybody can do that. Even atheists can do a pretty good job at loving people that love them. But Jesus calls his followers to higher level of love. It's a difficult love, the kind of love that led Jesus to say on the cross,

"Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

That's the love to which Jesus calls us.

Do you need to "heap some burning coals" on someone's head today?

"Bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you."