Many years ago, publisher Justice Rain faced an uncomfortable situation that every businessperson knows well—an angry customer demanding a refund he believed was unjustified. The customer was rude and arrogant, stirring up Justice’s anger and destroying any inclination toward generosity. His first instinct was to give this person exactly what he was getting—a double-sized portion of hostility and rejection.
Justice did not have it in his heart to do anything gracious for the rude customer demanding a refund. He felt no love for this person, and why should he? This person had become his adversary.
However, Justice understood that Jesus wants us to obey even when our hearts are not in it. Here is an important truth: our hearts do not always have to be in it to show mercy. We can be gracious even when we dislike the people we are being gracious to. Sometimes we must follow the recipe even when we don’t feel like cooking. That is what Justice Rain did—he was simply obedient to the Spirit.
So not only did he refund the customer’s money, he gave the customer ten percent more than what he had demanded. Three days later, Justice’s wife answered the phone. The customer who had demanded the refund was calling, very distraught. He did not know what had come over him to make him so rude. The customer wanted to know if they would forgive him and allow him to order from them again.
Does this always happen when we feed our enemies when they are hungry and give them water when they are thirsty? Of course not. The life of Jesus reminds us we can be killed for our love and compassion.
However, even if our opponents do not become our friends, we can live at peace with ourselves and in communion with our Lord for obeying Jesus. We will have done everything in our power to maintain peace and unity.
Look at this ancient wisdom from Proverbs: “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22, NIV). Paul uses these exact words to instruct the Roman church in engaging with their enemies.
This saying originates from a time when neighbors borrowed hot coals to rekindle their fires. Coal was placed in a pot, and the person would carry it home on their head. Imagine an adversary coming to borrow one red-hot coal, and instead of sending back a single coal, you sent your opponent home with an entire pot filled with hot coals. That person would walk home amazed at the generosity, humbled and surprised.
Enemies expect retaliation. They expect to be hit back. They brace for your next move and prepare to be attacked. What they are not ready for is grace. It catches them off guard. It throws them off balance. They do not know how to respond because you are displaying the power they could not take from you. Some may still seek to wound you, but your actions will soften the hearts of others. It defuses their explosive tempers. It makes them feel ashamed of their actions toward you. And you might even win them over as friends.