TheBolgBlog: Christians as Loving Adversaries

I was really intrigued by Ryan Bolger's reflections on Christians as Loving Adversaries, inspired by the line "we are loving adversaries of every regime". It seems to me that the idea of being a "loving adversary" is precisely the place where I have so often struggled when I have encountered things, particularly within the church, that aren't quite right.

I remember once when it felt as though I had been handed a task like that of Jeremiah's: he was called to preach repentance to a people who simply were not going to repent. I realized that the big difference between Jeremiah and I was that I was not developing the heart that Jeremiah did. Jeremiah wept over his mission, I just got frustrated and angry.

Lord, create in me the heart that can truly love those whom I am called to oppose