Recently I had an upsetting email addressed to me. This person had attacked me before and although I had every right to attack back, I seldom did.

I shared the contents of the email with several of my friends. They all agreed that there was no truth in it. I knew there wasn’t any truth but it does help when you have support from friends.

Simple logic was not present in this email but it still bothered me. I was struggling with the issue when I went to church for a marriage seminar.

I know you are thinking “Wait a minute, I thought this was a blog written by a single Mom. What is she doing going to a marriage seminar?”

I know. That is exactly what I was thinking when my Bible Study group insisted that I go. I am so glad I did though because Pastor Jimmy Evans had a word for me.

He said that when people hurt you, you should pray that God blesses them. WHAT?!!! Yep, that is what it says in Matthew 5:44. “But I say to you, 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.”

Something happens in your heart when you do this. Evil is intended to harden your heart; to make you cold and bitter. When you pray for God to bless those who have cursed you, an uncanny event happens. Your heart softens and you realize that the world that they live in must be a very horrid world for them to treat others as they have treated you. They are to be pitied for the evil which resides in their heart.

I doubt that this person will change but I know that I have the power and ability to not allow her to change me. If I focus on the lies which she has written to me and about me I may indeed transform into those lies. If I pray instead for God to bless her when that email crosses my mind, I am becoming more like Christ.

Remember Christ is the one who healed the man whom his disciple maimed by cutting his ear off. This man was intent upon killing Jesus. Yet Jesus showed him compassion by healing his ear. If God’s Son can show compassion to a soldier who is about to crucify him, who am I to say I can not pray blessings on someone who has slandered me?

I know that there is much evil in the world today. I challenge each of you to pray for God’s blessings upon those who curse you and each time the curse crosses your mind pray continually for blessings for those which have offended you. It will break loose the evil which Satan intended for you.