I’ve been talking about the idea of universal reconciliation at my church’s adult forum the past two weeks. This afternoon while doing chores I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, called The Sacred, and guest Leah Libresco Sargeant said something about how she tries to have a Jesus-like perspective toward people who make her angry dovetails very nicely with the discussion we’ve been having at church.

Host Elizabeth Oldfield asks Sargeant how, in a debating environment, do you maintain the positive perspective of thinking and trying to represent the best of your opponent and their view? Here’s how Sargeant replied (podcast link at about 57:30:

When I’m in an argument and I don’t like people - this happens to me, not infrequently - one thing I try to do is to look at them and think for a second - and this is the thing in the Bible when Jesus is asked by the rich young man what he needs to do to be holy. He’s followed the commandments, and Jesus is about to tell him ‘you need to sell everything you have and give it to the poor’, and because he’s Christ he probably knows the boy is not going to do this. That he’s done a lot but he’s not willing to go this far. And the text of the Bible says, before he speaks, it just says “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”

And I just say that in my head, looking at the person, knowing that this is true. And what I also remind myself, especially if I’m quite angry, is that my goal in relating to this person is that if I die, and this is the person who I first meet at the gates of heaven welcoming me there, that I will be happy to see them, and I will have no fiber of my being that’s angry that they’re there or scorns to be welcomed by them in particular. Because if I feel that way about anyone on earth, that I wouldn’t be thrilled to see them in heaven, then I am picking hell for myself, if I would rather not enter than be welcomed by this person.

Real reconciliation and love for your enemy is immensely hard, but it might start, at least, with a thought like this.