Do you know about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Dr. King was an American hero who helped bring equality and fairness to a group of people who were terribly mistreated.

Way back in 1957, as he prepared to preach one Sunday morning, he struggled. The unfair treatment of Black people made him struggle with the temptation to fight back.

But here’s what he said to the people at the church where he preached that morning: “How do you go about loving your enemies?” he asked. “Begin with yourself. . . . When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it.”

Quoting Jesus, King said: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Matthew 5:44 kjv). He wanted to change things for the better, but he knew it had to be done God’s way.

Do you ever have to deal with kids who want to hurt you or make fun of you? Here’s a verse that might help: But “[God] gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). This big word reconciliation means we “work things out” with people—not attack them. That’s always what Jesus did.

Jesus, who was kind and compassionate, wants us to “work things out” too. Jesus wants us to love even those who don’t seem to like us.