By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
Sadly, by age five I had already witnessed evil up close and personal. I was sitting at a table with my classmates when a boy sitting next to me reached over to my paper and for reasons I don’t understand to this day began to scribble all over my pretty picture. Needless to say I was shocked by his cruel behavior. Seeing the look on my face he must have calculated the outcome of his lack of self-control because at that very moment he pulled his hand away and proceeded to scribble all over his own paper. With tears ready to spill from my eyes, the boy raised his hand and told the teacher I had scribbled on his paper. To my horror the teacher actually believed him! I was sent to the corner, humiliated and unjustly accused.
”But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” (Matthew 5:39)
Have you ever been unfairly treated or unjustly accused?
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
How we react to unfair or unjust situations just might reveal some things about our character and level of Christian maturity.
“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
This prophesy about Jesus in Isaiah foretold how our Lord would react to His accusers. God in the flesh could have struck a lethal blow to His accusers in an instant, but He did not. Why?
“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” (Proverbs 10:12)
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
The point to be made is not that we become doormats for others to trample, but that we leave judgment in God’s hands.
“If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.” (Luke 6:29)
Remember that “man” is not the real enemy. Man is simply being used and/or manipulated by the enemy. If we want to deliver a lethal blow to the real enemy—Satan— our best weapon is to love those who have hurt us, to forgive the offense, knowing full-well that the true enemy of our soul is being denied any kind of satisfaction from our retaliation.
The Kingdom of God is built on love—not hatred or bitterness. As heirs of the King, we are called to be a Kingdom people—individuals who love when it doesn’t make sense to love, forgive when every fiber of our being wants to hold a grudge, remain silent when our voice cries out to be heard, give sacrificially without expecting anything in return, and, to the best of our ability, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be vessels who spread love and peace, just like our Lord—Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)
