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Think of public enemies. Who makes your list?

Let me state this clearly: I’m NOT looking to make lengthy comment about public enemies. I don’t have the time and you could find better information elsewhere.

As you think through your list of public enemies, what comes to mind? Why you don’t like them? Unpopular decisions they’ve made? Evil (perceived or real) they’ve perpetrated?

Tuesday morning, I attended a breakfast hosted by Love Akron, a ministry in the Akron area with the type of reach to fill a room with 700 people for breakfast at 7:00 in the morning. It was a great morning full of challenges, but one of the things that challenged me most was the person who gave the benediction.

Now the list of memorable benedictions in your life might be as long as the list of Cleveland sports championships. But for me, this benediction destroyed ordinary.

The benediction was given by Scott Scarborough. For those of you who may not know, Scott Scarborough is the president of the University of Akron. He has made many unpopular decisions and has borne the brunt of a lot of public backlash.

So the first thought that entered my mind when I heard he would deliver the benediction?

Pshh. Really?

But then he stood in front of that room of 700 people, I’m sure many of whom disagreed with him or flat out disrespected him. He stood and delivered a closing prayer on par with the passion that filled the room that morning.

Listen, I’m not here to defend the man’s policies. I’m not qualified to evaluate the heart behind his prayer. And, I certainly won’t pretend to evaluate the decision to have him pray. None of that is my purpose (not to mention my authority or pay grade).

But I am qualified to say this: remember your enemy, the person you fiercely disagree with, or the person who flat out disgusts you, is a human being. As much as you or I may have deep seated disagreements with someone, as believers we come under the Scripture which commands us to hope and believe the best:

I Cor. 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Think. That person you like to vilify? Talk down? Publicly rant about? That person you’ve almost certainly never met or lack depth in how well you know them, yet you criticize them anyway? Ask yourself what is really true about them.

Act. At the very least, can you stomach the reality of their humanity and pray for them?