Connecting in Community Step 8: LOVE YOUR ENEMY

We want to engage our whole community in peacebuilding, so we’re going through 10 small, easy things you can do to start connecting in your community by understanding yourself, your context, the people in your community, and the conflicts in your setting. Check out Step 1 , Step 2, Step 3, Step 4 , Step 5, Step 6, and Step 7.

A core element of peacebuilding is helping those who perceive each other as enemies to choose peace, reconcile, and find a way forward together. So if we’re going to help others reconcile, we need to do the hard work of practicing it ourselves.

This can be a hard one, so here are some suggestions:

First, think of someone you might consider an “enemy.” Someone you really don’t like, someone you disagree with, or someone who has hurt you or others. To the best of your ability, take time to pray for their wellbeing. Try to genuinely invite peace and goodness into their lives. This isn’t to bypass the harm they may have caused; rather, it’s a decision to uphold their humanity and the Imago Dei in them even as you seek change.
Or consider that same “enemy” and name a specific decision they made or action they took. Peacebuilders recognize that everything people do is an attempt to meet an underlying need or concern, even when the results are tragic and harmful. So try to really practice considering what needs, values, or fears might be driving them to act or believe as they do.