Leviticus 19:18
Stop being angry and don’t try to take revenge. I am the Lord, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Last week, I purchased something on eBay, and the seller contacted me the next day to say that extra items were inadvertently shipped with my order. This person asked if I would return these things and said she would e-mail me a prepaid shipping label. I agreed to do this. When the box arrived, there were double the “extra items” - and double the weight. So I had to contact the seller – who emailed me ANOTHER label that would cover the extra postage costs.
I thought about giving this seller a negative rating on eBay - or sending a message to express my dissatisfaction. But in the end, I have done nothing. Why? Partly because someone really MIGHT be in trouble if I did this…and I’ve tried to put myself in that person’s shoes. Were I to make such a mistake, I would truly appreciate a buyer who didn’t “rub salt in the wound!”
Additionally, it WAS a small inconvenience – and something of an aggravation to have to deal with this. But at the end of the day, it’s really not worth any more of my time and energy…certainly not worth “stirring the pot” and causing a problem for someone else.
So often, we "fly off the handle" and react to things that really don’t deserve that much effort and attention. We get angry when there is no need and seek revenge where it would be best to simply leave things alone. Timothy told me once when he had pushed Nathan…”He needed to be taught a lesson!” The truth is that most of the time, this is not our job! Sometimes our efforts to handle things on our own are not pretty – and don’t represent true Christian discipleship.
Are you making every effort to operate in love and a spirit of “second chances?” Do you give others the benefit of the doubt? Don’t you think it’s time we learned to check our attitudes before we react to others? Ask God to help you mature in this area. Learn to take a breath and step back before you totally make a mess of things. Think about how YOU would like to be treated…and make this your guideline for how to respond in kind.
In both the Old and New Testaments, we are commanded to love others as we love ourselves. We are told not to get angry or seek revenge. I’d say that this is pretty high on God’s list of priorities…wouldn’t you? So what are you doing to eliminate anger and revenge from your life?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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