Hot Coals

If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.

Romans 12:20

Booker T. Washington is known for founding the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. As an African American, he was often treated unfairly by people who looked different from him and judged him only by the color of his skin.

Booker T. Washington could have easily hated the people who treated him wrongly. But he didn’t. He said, “I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.” In other words, he wasn’t going to let someone else’s actions cause him to react in a mean way. He knew he couldn’t stop how people treated him because of the color of his skin, but he could control his own reactions to their unkindness.

In today’s verse, the apostle Paul told the Christians in Rome to go a step further and treat their enemies with kindness. This wasn’t a new thought. Paul was repeating words penned years earlier by the wise King Solomon: “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the LORD will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22).

What does today’s verse mean for you? You probably don’t have any real enemies. But you might have someone in your life who is hard to like. Maybe she makes fun of you every chance she gets. Not only that, but she gets her friends to do the same. It would be very tempting to say something mean back to her, but the right thing to do is react with kindness. Not because she deserves to be treated kindly but because you’re God’s princess, and nothing she says can change that.

You may be thinking that answer is too simple. Even though you know you are important to God, it might be nice to have other people recognize your worth. They will, but it just might not be right now. The only thing you can control is your reaction to their mean-girl tactics. Don’t give them the victory by letting them get to you. Make the right choice, and respond to them God’s way—with kindness.

React in kindness to those who are hard to like. Smile and walk on by when you’d rather get back at them. Memorize either Romans 12:20 or Proverbs 25:21-22, and quote it to yourself as a reminder when others act ugly.