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Be honest here: Have you ever found yourself enjoying someone else’s failures? Maybe you’ve talked about it openly with others or just found yourself gloating a little in your own heart at the news of their mistakes and mess ups. Either way, the fact remains the same: There’s just something about their failure that you enjoy. Honestly, if you’ve felt that way, you’re in good company. It’s human nature for all of us to want to see our enemies struggle the way we feel they’ve caused us to struggle. But as this proverb points out, that’s not the helpful or healthy response. It’s not good for them, but it’s also not good for us.

As believers, God calls us to a better way. A way that resists the temptation to find joy or happiness at someone else’s expense. A way that leads with love. We do this not for the other person’s sake, but for our own. Because, as we find ways to love those who feel like enemies in our lives, even if only from afar, we’ll see our hearts changed by God for the better. Challenge yourself this week to find a way to encourage someone who is hard to love in your life. This can be as simple as sending a kind text, dropping off a coffee or a treat at their house, or just privately saying a prayer for them. Whatever it is you choose to do, let it be done from a heart that wants to choose love for even those who don’t make that easy.