Have you ever been wronged? Has anyone treated you unfair? I am sure we all could raise our hands in response to these questions. At some point in our lives, we will experience the pain of being wronged. It’s not enjoyable. It’s not easy. And it’s not without pain. Being wronged by someone else hurts.
Just this last week, I had this happen to me and my family. No, this isn’t the first time I have experienced being wronged, but this one is still fresh. I found myself in a bad place in response to this wrong. I was lashing out and wanted to desperately to make things right. I wanted to expose the wrong. I wanted to yell, scream, curse at, and choke the person (raw honesty here, friends) who wronged me and my family.
About three days after the initial sting of this situation, I thought I was beginning to work through it and attempt to move beyond it. Then I checked the mail. Dang it! I just had to be an adult and check my mailbox, didn’t I? And there was something in the mail that day that smacked this situation right back in my face. So, all my anger, frustration, upset, and hurt rose back to the surface. I was back to acting like a cross between Yosemite Sam and Chuck Norris, with a little bit of a two-year old mixed in there.
I found myself that day ranting to God about the situation on my way to work. I told Him how angry and hurt I was. I told Him it wasn’t right. I told Him what I felt like doing and how I wanted to behave (as if my personal temper tantrum didn’t give any indication of that). I cried. I grunted. I screamed. I asked Him, “How am I supposed to deal with this, Lord?” And told Him, “You’re going to have to help me here.” And then He spoke.
“Jaclyn, you’re going to have to let this go. Give it to me. Let me take care of it. Let me take care of you.”
I knew that what He was speaking to my heart was what I needed to do. I knew that the way I was reacting to the situation was not healthy. But I wanted so much to make the wrong right in the moment. Ya know?
If we aren’t careful, though, our emotions can control us instead of us controlling them.
The Lord reminded me of Luke 6:27-30, and I love how the Message translation words it:
To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
No, it’s not always easy to live this way. But it IS always the most rewarding. As people of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are to live in a higher way than “tit-for-tat.” We are called to be the bearers of the Light of Heaven.
We carry the breathe of Heaven within us, and have been empowered through Holy Spirit to change the very atmosphere around us.
When we try to take matters into our hands and tap into our own strength, things will only get messier. But when we leave matters in the hands of God and tap into His strength, the mess is left powerless in our lives. We give power to the mess and to the wrong when we try to handle by ourselves. This only leaves us without peace, without joy, and sitting miserable. But through the strength of God and His grace, we have peace, joy, and can dance through the mess.
Again, I am not saying this is easy, my friends. It’s not. And it’s a daily choice, and some times it’s a moment to moment choice. But I promise you, He will never steer you wrong. And when you allow Him to right the wrongs in your life, you will always get a better outcome.
How have you handled wrongs in your life?
XOXO,
Jaclyn
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