Loving the hardest person

Sarah Borer
November 16, 2009

I have been praying to Heavenly Father to send me a really hard person to love. Days passed and all I got were really nice people. It’s easy to know why God loves these nice people, but it’s so hard to understand how God can love people who hurt you. I gave up on that prayer. The next day I approached this man at a gas station. I say my spiel and show him the sun catchers. His hands immediately shuffle through the sun catchers. He picks up the Guadalupe sun catcher. I didn’t tell him the prices yet. He then says, “So what, can I give you like five dollars?” I explained the prices. His smile turns into a frown. Then he says, “I’ll take it for $25.” I said, “No sir, its $35.” He frowns even more and asks, “How about $30?” I really wanted to have integrity and I wanted this person to give the full amount back to God. He kept pushing me to give him the sun catcher for less and I kept saying “no.” Then he accused me. He told me that I wasn’t raising funds. He called me a solicitor and his voice was so angry.

He finally gave in and said he would take it for $35. He asked if I had change for $40 and I didn’t since it was the very beginning of my run. He got really frustrated and said there is not way I’m giving $40 for this sun catcher. He handed me the sun catcher and I put it into my box. I looked up and said, “Thank you for your time and have a good day.” I smiled and I was about to turn around when he stopped me. I look up at him and he smiled back at me and said, “Thank you for dealing with me. I’ll take that sun catcher for $40.” I was so confused. I absent mindedly handed him the Guadalupe sun catcher and he probably read the shock on my face. He laughed and when he was getting into his car, he looked at me and said, “I’m preparing you for all those mean people out there.” He slammed the door and drove off.

I really felt God answering my prayer. He didn’t send me a really hard person to love, but he sent me someone greater. He sent me a person who was willing to persecute me knowing that it will prepare me for the real world. He sent me a person who was concerned whether I was ready or not to meet a hard person to love. I felt God’s heart through him. I also felt God answered my prayers, for it took a lot for me to keep quiet as he accused me and made me feel guilty. I am ready to open up my capacity to love. I am ready to love like Heavenly Father.