Burning Coals of Shame

“If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. If they are thirsty, give them some water. This will make them feel the burning pain of shame, and the Lord will reward you for being good to them.” Proverbs 25:21-22 (ERV) Isn’t that something? When you show grace and mercy to your enemies, they will feel the burning pain of shame. Ouch! Other translations say, “You heap burning coals on their head.” When you show your enemies love, they will feel ashamed for how they have treated you. I know very well what that means. I learned this lesson the hard way when I was an unbeliever. When my daughter died, a man and his whole family came up to the funeral. I was thinking they were there to fight. And what better place to kick your enemy while he is down than at the funeral of his little girl, right? Well, I was wrong. They were not there to fight. They brought flowers and teddy bears, and they came to pay their respects to my little girl. It was then, in that moment, that I felt the full weight of shame for the years of conflict between us. I wept, and I knew something needed to change. When I get frustrated in life, I look back at that humbling moment. It’s my marker, a place I visit where I look back, and remember to show grace. My prayer is that we will read these verses from Proverbs and receive God’s Word. Love God and love people, yes, even the difficult ones, because the love we show them could convict them to change their life and live for the Lord. — Mark Little Elk   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org