IN any book on warfare, such a title means,
to get to know your enemy to realise his or
her weaknesses to finally beat them, but yesterday, while doing my reading of the Holy Scriptures, I came across this verse saying, “Love your enemies!” Which made me think, that this would be most difficult to follow, till I read this little funny story:
A man hated his wife’s cat and decided to get rid of it. He drove 20 blocks away from home and dropped the cat there. The cat was already walking up the driveway when he approached his home. The next day, he decided to drop the cat 40 blocks away but the same thing happened. He kept increasing the number of blocks but the cat kept coming home before him. At last he decided to drive a few miles away, turn right, then left, past the bridge, then right again and another right and so on until he reached what he thought was a perfect spot and dropped the cat there. An hour later…. The man calls his wife at home and asked her, “Jen is the cat there?” “Yes, why do you ask?” answered the wife.
Frustrated the man said,” Put that damn cat on the phone, I am lost and I need directions to reach home!!! The moral of the story was that however much we dislike somebody, someday we will need their assistance. Now doesn’t that make loving your enemy a little easier?
But going one step farther; the interesting fact in the little story we’ve just read is that the cat, which the man hated had qualities, which the man didn’t have; a sense of direction! I can imagine the lady, his wife telling the cat, “You’ll have to come to the phone and give my husband directions to return home!”
The cat looks at her mistress and says, “You think we can teach your husband a thing or two?” “I beg your pardon?” asks the lady wondering whether the cat wants to scratch out her husband’s eyes. “I mean why don’t I conduct some lessons on how not to get lost!” says the cat, “So that when you two are together, he’ll bring you back home and not get lost like this?”
Now if the man hears this conversation, he’s going to suddenly realize that the cat has positive qualities which he didn’t know. Suddenly it’s not a detestable creature! Suddenly it’s a creature he needs to get to know! And my dear friend, more often than not it’s because we haven’t taken time to know somebody, that we quickly make him or her an enemy. Get to know your enemy, and you’ll find he or she has got qualities, which could make them a friend! Now, you and I have one more reason to love our enemies..!
