Love your enemies. Bless them. Do good to them. Pray for them.Why should I do that?

Matthew 5:44-45 NKJV
[[44] But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, [45] that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.5.44-45.NKJV

Luke 6:27-28 NKJV
[27] “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.6.27-28.NKJV

Romans 12:19-21 NKJV
[19] Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. [20] Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” [21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

https://bible.com/bible/114/rom.12.19-21.NKJV

Luke 23:34 ESV
[34] And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.23.34.ESV

Acts 7:60 ESV
[60] And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

https://bible.com/bible/59/act.7.60.ESV

1 Peter 3:9 ESV
[9] Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

https://bible.com/bible/59/1pe.3.9.ESV

Love your enemies. Bless them. Do good to them. Pray for them.Why should I do that?

So that I’m not overcome by evil, but instead, I am able to overcome evil with good.

My actions as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus Christ, can either draw people to him, or turn them off and cause them to turn away from God in their own heart and mind. Jesus asks His followers to live as he lived, love as he loved, and serve as he served, thereby glorifying the Father in heaven.

When someone does me dirty, disrespects me, even lies about me and slanders my name, my first human reaction is to defend myself. The second is to not only take offense, but to become angry, bitter and resentful. The thoughts of getting even and planning my defense and pay back can consume me and take me down a path towards darkness and hatred, which leads to self destruction of my emotional and mental health, which can contribute to my physical health.

So who am I really hurting and destroying by holding onto all of these negative feelings and emotions?

Furthermore, am I really hurting the other person by allowing what they said or did to consume me and occupy my heart, mind and soul; aka renting space in my head?

Freely forgiving others of their trespasses against me does more to free up my heart, mind and soul, than it does for the offender. Furthermore, it puts the whole thing in God’s hands and our faith and trust in Him will allow us to believe that vengeance is His and He will repay accordingly.

The Bible says that when we forgive others and refrain from getting even, and leave the matter in God’s hands, we’re “heaping coals of fire/shame on their head”

Is it better to get even, or for the other person to become convicted in their heart and see within themselves, that they’ve offended you, and apologize and ask for forgiveness?

So often we tend to demonize offenders and exaggerate and embellish the actual offense they have committed against us. If their trespasses against us included anything illegal or against the law, let law enforcement and the courts deal with it. Take it out of your hands and control and let others come to your aid.

Even if an offense isn’t anything illegal, but merely words and/or actions that are highly offensive and have caused you great pain and agony, don’t allow that to rob you of your own inner peace and joy.
As much as we’re able to, we’re to live at peace with others; including those we may sharply disagree with, and especially those who disagree with us so much that they become aggressive and controlling, etc. it’s ok to remove yourself from such people and not associate with them.

If we can’t agree to disagree, and still maintain mutual respect, then unfriend them on social media, even block those who want to argue with you and occupy your mind and rob you of your peace.