Be Kind To Those Who Hurt You
"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." -- 1 Thessalonians 5:15
We humans are a vengeful people. If someone hurts our feelings, we lash out. We vow to repay the person who cheated us. We wish bad things on the driver who cut us off in traffic. We point our fingers at others, denouncing their actions and vowing retaliation. Shame on us!
I get so tired of hearing Christians excuse their actions with "an eye for an eye." It's like they selected one phrase in the Bible and ignored everything else. It doesn't work that way. The Bible tells us to love our enemies, to be kind and compassionate, to help those in need. We just don't want to hear those things because they don't fit with what we want to do. We want revenge.
Over the years, I've heard so many stories about church members fussing with each other. Congregations split. Harsh words are said. Some relationships are destroyed forever. I always want to ask them where God was when all that was going on. Did they ask His opionion? Did they invite Him into the middle of it? Did they seek His counsel and follow His Word? No. They didn't. While churches sometimes split over Biblical interpretations, many times it's over power and personalities. Jesus called us to be humble and to put others before ourselves. We can't do that if we're focused on being in control.
One day we will all be judged. We won't be judged on what other people did. We'll be judged on our own actions. That includes those times when someone wronged us and we chose to retaliate rather than show kindness and forgiveness. We'll be held accountable for all those times we refused to walk away and, instead, harshly judged those who failed us.
Is it easy to forgive? Not usually. Is it easy to be kind to someone who wishes harm for us? Not really. God never said our walk would be easy. He did promise us strength and guidance and an eternity with Him. Stay focused on Him. He'll take care of all the rest.
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