Love Your Frenemies

Each year, a new set of words is added to the dictionary. Altogether, 25 words were picked in 2009 to join the ever expanding English language, some of which include vlog, earmark, pharmacogenetics, sock puppet and more. As I read through the list, there was one word that really jumped out at me: frenemy.

A frenemy is one who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy. Do you have any of these? These are people who flower you with niceties to your face and then say mean things about you behind your back. Yikes!

God's word is very clear about how we should respond to our frenemies. Mt. 5:44 tells us that we are to "love our (fr)enemies" How is this possible? I ran across some great thoughts on this from a study by Doug Britton called Let Jesus Transform Your Heart.

• Realize that you may have misinterpreted the other person's words.
• Realize that you may be right: The other person may be your enemy.
• Determine what part you played in the problem.
• See problems as opportunities to grow in Christ.
• Forgive . . . even if your enemy does not apologize.
• Pray for your enemies.

I hope these practical tips help you deal with your frenemies as much as they have helped me deal with mine. Be strong in the Lord, my friend!