Think and Act Differently

My daughter, Melissa, has four girls. The two youngest share a room. They are close in age. They get along well together and often do the same things together. The eldest one, Aubrey, stayed at a friend’s place one night and this made Willow (who is 6) feel a bit lost and lonely going to bed. Mum and Dad put a mattress on the floor of one of her big sister’s rooms so Willow would have company.

That night Melissa heard screaming from the other room.  Dad went running. A big spider had crawled onto Willow as she was drifting off to sleep. Her big sisters had seen it too but when Willow had jumped up and run out of the room screaming, she must have flicked it off, nowhere to be found. It took quite a while after that to get her to sleep because she was so upset.

The next morning Melissa found a big spider and squashed it. Willow assumes it was the same spider which crawled on her because as she was leaving the room she said under her breath “You deserved that!”

This example of the spider made me think how many times have I been put in an uncomfortable situation by someone? How often has someone made me feel ‘less than’, and I just want to get even with (“that spider”) “that person”, the one who made me feel like that? Do I say or even think “You deserved that!” when something happens to them? We like it when they get their just desserts.

It seems only natural to feel and act like this. To get revenge.

But Jesus asks us to think differently, to act differently.

To live with Kingdom values.

In Romans it states:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:19-21 NRSVCE

So, think about it. Don’t get even, don’t “kill the spider”, “damage the person”, but overcome these evil acts with good. This good will be like heaping burning coals upon their head.

Now I know that only the Holy Spirit can give us this strength, this love, this mercy, so that we act like this and think like this.  Call upon Him.

This way of thinking and of living causes us to live free. Not bound up with unforgiveness and wanting retribution. Our hearts stay soft and loving, and don’t turn into being harsh and unkind and mean.

Jesus says, “I have come to give you life.”  This full life can only be lived in freedom.

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What are the circumstances in your life where you have wanted to ‘get even’ with someone?

In what ways could you show goodness to those who have wronged you?

Do you need to ask the Holy Spirit to change your heart so that you can live in freedom?