Nov. 23, 2022 – Proverbs 24:28-29
Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause;
don’t lie about them.
And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me!
I’ll get even with them!” Proverbs 24:28-29
Anger, resentments, frustrations... these are the things that can really trip us up. When we are let down by this world, we tend to want to get revenge. We tend to want to make sure that we pay back evil for evil. Doesn’t sound very Christian of us, does it? So why do we tend to lean away from the Lord and take things into our own hands to try to even up the score? What is it that makes us the “scorekeepers” and why do we sometimes feel like we need to make others hurt the way we have been hurt?
I wish I had the answer to those questions. It seems to me we think that if we can make someone else hurt, it will ease our own pain. In all reality, it does nothing to ease the pain of what we have gone through. In fact, it does just the opposite because we stay in the chaos of the pain for longer. In some ways, the human race is very reactive…you hurt me, I will hurt you worse. We seem to be more on the destructive side of things when we simply react to situations.
This is one great reason we need to deal with our emotions rather than react to our emotions. Our reactive self will cause self-destruction. We will cause bigger messes in our life if we do not turn to the Lord and allow him to handle situations as he sees fit.
Our job is not to seek revenge. Our job is to seek to forgiveness. We are to surrender our hurt to the Lord. Love our neighbor as ourself. Allow God to be God and remember we are not him. This is a tall order for a reactive society that we live in today. It takes practice, dedication to the Lord and full surrender to step out of being a reactive person and become a God-reliant person. You will feel more freedom much quicker when you let go of the “revenge mindset” and embrace the attitude of Christ.
Questions for reflection:
- When was the last time something made you so hurt or angry that you felt you wanted to get even?
- Have you ever surrendered such hurt to God and if so, how did that make you feel when you did?
- If there is freedom in being honest and surrendering hurt, what stops you from taking those steps?