Romans 12:17-19 “Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do.”
There is sometimes where I would really like to say or do something because my human desires and emotions are roiling inside of me. I used to know a girl that talked about flipping people off all the time when she got upset with them. Many times people have treated me so badly that I’ve just wanted to sock them in the mouth. Honestly, what good is that going to do? Getting short with people, mouthing, hitting, giving the finger, and everything else in between is only hurting. If you don’t like the way they’re treating you, why would you turn around and do the same to them? Love does not delight in evil and God calls us to love everyone. Why would you get satisfaction in hurting someone or further making a situation sour? If it’s to get revenge for what they did to you, God tells us to leave it up to Him. Stop before you react to someone or something and ask yourself, “Am I helping or hurting?”
Ephesians 4:26-27 “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.”
You used a key word there, "react". When we react, it is an action taken without thinking, it is almost like a reflex, like Chernoble was a chain reaction, one thing started the other, started the other, started the other. Now, when we learn to think about our actions before doing them, were learning to respond. It's amazing the difference between responding and reacting. Once we learn to respond we find that it's a better outcome and more importantly, a better witness!
ReplyDeleteAmen, Cory!
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