Devotion
If you can’t beat then, join them
David Jacobs

When I was in middle school, there was a boy that was much bigger than everyone else, and wow, he was a bully! He would really pick on other students and even hurt them, but he was so big nobody dared to stand up to him. He was equally as terrible to teachers, but I remember after school one day I noticed him red in the face, wiping tears from his eyes. Although he was so big, when he broke down he was like anyone else. That student was awful in my teacher's class, but my teacher put his arm around him, comforted him, and took him into his office so that other people could not see. After that, the student behaved quite well in that class, although I wish I could say the same about other classes!

My teacher's compassion to a person that had constantly troubled him humbled the terrible student. The student was used to being met by scorn, at school and most likely at home, and that was why he acted the way that he did. In these verses, Elisha shows compassion to the soldiers that have been sent to find him and most likely to kill him and the king of Israel. His compassion turns a foe into a friend, an enemy into an ally. Just like the student and the teacher, a show of compassion and love can turn hate into love. Christ teaches us to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), and that is what Elisha does in these verses. How often do we actually do it?

Prayer

Forgiving God, you show compassion to all of humanity. You are patient with us, Abba Father, even when we do not deserve it. Help to remind me of your patience and compassion, O Lord, so that I can inject some of this positivity into my fellow man. You have shown us the way, as did your only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who shed light on the path. In his holy name I pray. Amen.