Do you remember Sam Donaldson? He was the Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News for several years. In fact, he was with ABC from 1967 until 2013. He was somewhat controversial. Some found him to be a little bit irritating. But he was fair. He treated presidents of both parties with equal disrespect. He seemed to be very tough on President Jimmy Carter.
In his book, Sam Donaldson told about traveling with President Carter and the press corp to a small village outside of New Delhi, India, to see how the village solved its energy problem. This particular village solved its energy problem by throwing all the cow manure from its herds into a large pit, then generating gas from this to light the village lamps.
So that day, all the officials and the reporters stood around this nasty pit, inspecting the process. Sam Donaldson turned to President Carter and said, "Sir, if I fell in there, would you pull me out?" Jimmy Carter answered, "Certainly, Sam, after a suitable interval."
Jesus talked about something very challenging, forgiving our enemies. He said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
So here is a good challenge for us today. Let’s ask God to help us to be kind to those who are not kind to us. Let’s ask God to help us to forgive those who have hurt us. Even our enemies.