14 Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. 16 Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you know more than others. Make friends with ordinary people.[a] 17 Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others,
Reflection
Okay, so there are plenty of examples of how NOT to do this right now.
Right now, I feel like we need an example of what TO DO; how to follow the above scripture. As I thought about notable people who demonstrate this scripture, the Obamas, Pope Francis and Pope Leo, various celebrities … one individual stands out.
I was only 5 in ‘97 when she died far too young. I haven’t even gotten to the seasons of The Crown where her character is featured. I know very little about the Royal Family, but I do know that the world was (remains?) fascinated with Diana, Princess of Wales. For a long time, I thought it was just the drama and intrigue of tension and rebellion wrapped in stone walls and diamonds. Recently, I’ve learned just a couple of details, seen footage from a handful of royal encounters, and I’m starting to get it.
People weren’t fascinated with Diana simply because she became a princess, like so many little girls dream of doing. Diana had a certain authenticity in her passion that shined through in opportunities to advocate for those who had so little support. Specifically, in 1987, when a photo of her shaking the hand of a patient with HIV was publicised without a glove or any other PPE, it began breaking down the stigma around the illness.
Another collection of clips I saw recently compared her to another royal who married into the family, and the significant difference between the genuine joy, kindness, engagement, and empathy Diana had for every individual– HIV and AIDS patients, children in orphanages and hospitals. At one point while in Pakistan, she took a small child with a traumatic brain injury in her lap to hold and comfort during a cultural celebration. She’s The People’s Princess because she understood the calling to use her platform to bring attention to fierce inequities all over the world.
That’s why Diana, Princess of Wales, is my chosen example of this scripture. Royalty or not, she literally had access to the keys of the kingdom, but she preferred pursuing compassion. She preferred sharing in others’ joy and sadness. In the footage of the moments above, she was not too proud and never assumed respect simply for being a Royal. She would earn that respect with kindness, empathy, and even a foot race.
Even a Royal can be an authentic Christian by just living in kindness and compassion.
by Ashley Bowler-Polhemus
For Pondering and Prayer
How can you implement this scripture in your life?
Is there anyone you’ve snubbed in the past as not good enough, or lesser for any reason?
When you’ve had the opportunity to show respect or kindness to someone who mistreated you in the past, did you take it? Can you create an opportunity to try again with the scripture in mind?
Prayer: Gracious God, help us meet people where they are with genuine love. Soften our hearts toward those who’ve wounded us. Give us courage to bless instead of curse, to celebrate with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who grieve. Strip away our pride. Create new opportunities for kindness, especially toward those we’ve overlooked or who’ve hurt us. May we use whatever platform we have to shine light on the forgotten and hurting. Thank you for the examples that inspire us. Now, help us do the work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
