Thankful for BAD People

I was just reflecting on the last Thanksgiving dinner. My family was gathered around my parents' dining room table. I had just blessed the food and had opened "the floor" to any one who wanted to share what he or she was thankful for. My oldest brother and his wife were thankful for their daughter who had been born five months premature and at that time was eight months old and healthy. My mother and sister expressed their gratitude for family, life and health. My neice for her new baby and husband... When it was my turn, countless blessings came to mind, but at the same time the worst events  I had experienced also.

On Face book, I summed up the last three years as the most wonderful and awful in my entire life. Those were the thoughts that filled me in that moment before I said this: "I am thankful for the good and bad people in my life. The good ones make life sweeter and the bad ones make me fight to be a better person. So, in all I am thankful for all people."----- You could hear the crickets chirping as that comment sunk in. Thanksgiving is the time to deliver warm, kind, loving thoughts not bitter sweet philosophical  takes on life.

However, I meant what I said. It's so easy to love and forgive your loved ones, but your enemies?  When I say enemies, I'm not referring to your cousin who forgot to pay you back on a loan or your friend who made you mad at the party. A REAL enemy, some one who is spiteful, wants to use abuse and lose you, a person who wants what you have or take away your glory or self esteem/worth... In other words a HATER to the core. --- Jesus said to love those unlovely people, bless those who curse you, revile you and say all manner of evil against you. THAT's NOT EASY!!! But if He said it, then its not impossible. So that's why I started with thankfulness.

I am thankful for every BAD person who did evil against me, because it made me stronger, more determined to do good!!! It causes me to see them as God does and feel sorry for them in the miserable state of sin and iniquity which causes them to be bitter. BAD people provoke me to interceed for the lost even more. My prayer for the bad ones is salvation of the soul and peace.
Lord have mercy on us, for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.

Thanks Lord for the good and bad people.