I know my Enemy
Rob and I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Turkey to visit the seven churches this year. The trip was led by the same dear friends that led our trip to Israel and also led a trip to follow in Paul’s footsteps in Greece. The story of how we started taking these trips is a story for another day. Today’s story is how a dear friend and former Pastor sent me an email that included other worship leaders in our group identifying the services they would lead on our trip. I initially ignored the email since I am not a pastor nor even close to being ordained. Then, I received a reminder. As I looked closely, I saw mine and Rob’s names next to one of our stops. The ask was for us to do the reading at the site of Gallipoli for one of the services that we held daily (we have done readings on previous trips). The part we, I, had not done previously was to deliver the main message. What was Jay thinking? I couldn’t do this.
The days leading to the visit to Gallipoli I kept asking Jay general questions to try to get a better understanding of what was expected…and then came the rest of the story. Not only was I to speak at Gallipoli, I was to speak at the site of the Muslim cemetery.
So-a little background. The Gallipoli Campaign occurred during World War I when the Allied forces were trying to capture the Dardanelles Strait and the Gallipoli Peninsula in order to reduce the Ottoman Empire’s growing power and clear a sea route to Russia. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) suffered great casualties during this campaign. The Turkish Nationals also suffered great casualties even though this Campaign was a Turkish victory after the successful defense against the Allied attacks. The site where I was selected to speak was the site of the Turkish cemetery-not the ANZAC/Allied cemetery.
A little more background- Rob and I deployed together in 2004-2005 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I had faced my enemy and similar to the Turkish Army, they were Muslim.
What could I possibly say and why had Jay chosen me to speak, or this moment, and this location? The night before I prayed for clarity and wisdom on what I would say. The following morning, we started at the ANZAC cemetery and a dear friend gave us the summary of the Campaign and the loss of life that occurred on that land from both sides. We then moved to the muslim cemetery and Rob did his readings…now, it was to me. I had not written anything down, the words below are from memory of what I shared that day.
“Many of you know that Rob and I have served together in the military- like many of you standing here with us today. I wanted to follow up to what Fred shared this morning.
I know my enemy-when Rob and I responded in NYC following the planes hitting the towers, I knew my enemy.
Through multiple deployments that put Rob and my fellow soldiers at risk, I knew my enemy.
When Rob and I deployed together and his convoy was hit with an IED and I had to route them back on base not knowing if he was alive or dead, I knew my enemy.
When Rob came home to see our twin girls born and had to return to Afghanistan to only have his convoy struck with an IED, I knew my enemy.
I recall a time when I was in the Army War College with my classmates in a large auditorium. Our speaker for the day was Iranian. You could cut the tension with a knife, we all sat on the edge of our seat because our enemy was in our midst.
As he spoke, I began to realize that my enemy is not that different than me. He was raised in an environment where he believed in all the things he was fighting for. Like me, he would follow orders and like me, he knew his enemy-and it was me.
But as our Brother Larry has shared, there is a difference in knowing of God and having a relationship with God. We must always turn to the Bible for truth-and God call us to love our enemy.
“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22). God asks us to treat our enemy with love and in so doing, may he see the roar of his ways and repent or see me in a different light.
In Matthew, “Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your souls and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).
Finally, in Luke, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36).
I know my enemy-and he is not so different than me and I am called to love my enemy.”
Today, I pray you be open to the nudges and to the people that God puts in your life. I pray that you be prayerful and receptive to the path God puts before you and that you step on that path regardless of the self doubt you may personally feel-God has you. Finally, I pray that when you look around you, you don’t see enemies or divisiveness, that instead you listen to the call of God and love your neighbor, love your enemy-imagine what this world could be if all of us did just that.
