“I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.”
-Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd US President (1882-1945)

Maybe it is because I found myself thinking and reading over the Beatitudes yesterday, but the quote above jumped out at me this morning. When I first read the quote, before looking at Matthew 5 again, I was first thinking I don’t want to have any enemies. Friends good. Enemies bad. But Jesus’ words say otherwise:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
– Matthew 5:10-12