“Don’t get mad, get even”
I can think of quite a few movies where a character said this verbatim. And many other stories where this was the theme. It’s a cute, witty thing to say and it certainly will make you feel better about the situation in the moment, but what does Scripture say?
I think the majority of people would agree that revenge isn’t a Biblical theme. But why shouldn’t we take matters into our own hands and what should we do instead?
Romans 12:19: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink, in doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Instead of “getting even” we should do the opposite. In Jesus’ words, we should love our enemies, pray for them, and do good to them (Matt. 5:44). This is a hard teaching! However, through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can. And as always, we choose to trust that God’s way is the best way.
Have you ever lived by the quote, “Don’t get mad, get even”? Can you think of an example when revenge proved to be a poor choice, even from a worldly viewpoint?
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