This isn't always an easy Bible verse to adhere to. I used to work someplace, years ago, where my supervisor was very hateful, at times. At the time, it felt like it was directed to me. Since then, I've come to learn that, sometimes, people are responding to what is going on in their own lives and it doesn't always have that much to do with us, although we often reap the rewards of their stress.
She would be impatient and, often, hateful to me. I used to regularly turn to food when I felt overwhelmed. I was a single parent, at the time, and really needed the job. There were many times that I hid away in the bathroom, so no one could see that I was crying. That's when I started praying in the bathroom.
I would ask God to get me through the situation that seemed unbearable, at the time. Then, I read this Bible verse: Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Romans 12:14. After that, when I would go to the bathroom in tears, I would pray for God to heal my supervisor's heart, for God to have her come to know Him as her Savior, for good things in her life. At first, I only expected these prayers to get me through another unbearable situation. What I found out was, my supervisor was much more pleasant to me when I returned.
At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. So, the next time I went to the bathroom in tears, I prayed something similar for God to bless and heal my supervisor. Again, my supervisor was much more supportive of me when I returned. I decided I was on to something! I didn't have to eat from stress over work any more. Everytime I turned my supervisor over to God, He took care of everything. I prayed my way through that job and God led me on to other things, much less stressful. When I have difficult people in my life, I don't always remember this situation immediately, but when I do, I try to pray for God to bless them, heal their heart, and have them come to know Him as their Savior. You would never know that you could make such a positive impact someone's life, from the bathroom.
Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.
