"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy."
1 Corinthians 14:1 (NIV)
There is someone in your life you have written off. Maybe they betrayed your trust, walked away without explanation, or caused damage that still stings today. You have been civil, perhaps even cordial, but you have quietly closed the door on loving them well. God is not asking you to pretend the hurt didn't happen. He is asking you to follow the way of love anyway.
The Greek word for follow here is diōkete, meaning to pursue relentlessly, even aggressively. It is the same word used to describe a hunter who does not stop until he finds what he is chasing. God is not suggesting a casual stroll in love's general direction. He is commanding a deliberate, determined chase after agapē, even when the road leads straight toward the person who hurt you most. Love like this doesn't wait for feelings to catch up. It moves first.
Jesus makes this command unavoidable in Matthew 5:44: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." He doesn't say love the people who deserve it, or love the ones who have apologized. He says love your enemies, the very people who have earned your anger. This is love above all in its most demanding form. Agapē does not depend on the other person's worthiness. It flows from God through you to people who may never return it.
Prayer is the first act of agapē toward someone who has wounded you deeply. It is nearly impossible to stay hardened toward a person you are genuinely bringing before God. When you pray for the one who hurt you, you are not excusing what they did. You are placing them in the hands of the only One who can do something about both of you. Prayer doesn't change the past, but it changes the one who is praying.
Who is the person you have been avoiding in your heart? Name them. Not out loud if you aren't ready, but honestly before God. Ask yourself whether your distance from them is wisdom or whether it is simply hurt dressed up as boundaries. Pursuing agapē toward an enemy will cost you your pride, your right to be angry, and your comfortable story about who the villain is. That is exactly what God is asking you to lay down.
Godseekers, following the way of love was never meant to be the easy road. God does not call you to love only the people who make it simple. He calls you to chase agapē the way a hunter chases his quarry, relentlessly, past your comfort zone and straight into the hardest relationship in your life. Love the one who wrecked you. Not because they deserve it, but because God loved you the same way first.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, You are the God who loved us while we were still Your enemies, and that truth humbles us completely. We confess that we have withheld agapē from people who have hurt us, protecting ourselves instead of pursuing them with love. Soften our hearts today. Give us the courage to follow the way of love even when it leads somewhere painful. Remind us that love like this is only possible because You loved us first. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- Who is the person God is calling you to pursue with agapē right now, and what has been holding you back from taking that step?
- What is the difference between a healthy boundary and simply withholding love from someone who has hurt you?
Step of Faith
Today, pray specifically and by name for the person who has hurt you most, asking God to bless them and soften your heart toward them, even if reconciliation is not yet possible.
