Kudos for a Job Well Done

So today, someone I dislike VERY much (yes, I know, that's not very nice of me to say, but I'm trying to be honest here), did something that warranted a "good job" from me. This is a person for whom I have very little respect because of the horrible way they treat other people. Sometimes, they even make fun of them in front of others or purposely try to make people feel anxious, uncomfortable, and humiliated. They are a bully. So when they did something today that made me somewhat proud of them, I was troubled as to what to do. Should I just ignore the action, assuming that was an anomaly? Should I tell them that they did a good job?

Here's the thing...we are told to "turn the other cheek" and "do unto others as we would have done to us" so part of me is saying, "yeah, I need to tell them that they did a good job." But the evil part of me is saying, "whatever, they will probably hurt someone tomorrow so what does one good deed matter?" Reflecting upon the situation I thought this...what if that person NEVER heard anything positive concerning their actions? What if they've never been taught HOW to behave? What if MY positive comment or "good job" was a step in them learning how to treat others? Then I knew, I had to swallow my pride and my disgust, love my enemy, and tell them that they did a good thing.

How easy is it to "turn the other cheek" or love your enemy? Not very! But we are supposed to do it. Imagine if the whole world lived by this principle? It would be EXTREMELY life-changing.

Who is YOUR enemy today? How will you love them even if they don't deserve to be loved? Who is loving you when you don't deserve it?