Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a
blessing.
Our newspapers carry stories all the time of people who have a grievance against someone
else
and they tried to settle that grievance through retaliation.
Spiritually, retaliation is deadly. There was a television movie that pointed out how deadly it is.
It
was about a young man who had a love-hate relationship with his father. He was trying
desperately to hurt his dad in a business deal. When his stepmother learned of it and
chastised
him, he responded, "I just wanted to beat him once." And she replied, "You haven't beaten
him.
You have become him." And that's true. Retaliation does permanent damage not only to our
others but to us as well.
(1 Peter 3.9
NRSV)
Back in 1940 a paper boy was nipped by a dog as he made his deliveries. He reported it to the
Humane Society, which took the animal in for observation, kept it a few days, and released it
to
the owner. She never forgot the incident. Decades later she continued tormenting the former
newsboy with phone calls.
Dear God, keep me from paying back evil with evil. And may I learn the gift of forgiveness.
Amen.
