Someone living at the merely human level doesn’t accept the things of God’s spirit. They are foolishness to such people, you see, and they can’t understand them because they need to be discerned spiritually. But spiritual people discern everything, while nobody else can discern the truth about them! For “Who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of the Messiah.—1 Corinthians 2:14–16
Brainy Tip: What we listen to and think about changes the structure of our brains.
We have all faced moments when following the way of Jesus seemed foolish. I mean, loving our enemies? Turning the other cheek? Forgiving the people who hurt us or those we love? We want to make people pay. It makes more sense than letting them get away with it, right? It is about justice, right?
Repaying evil in kind, however, never really works out in the end. It can spiral out of control as each person attacks the other, and can continue on for years and even decades. Justice and violence are not interchangeable terms. We can fight fire with fire, as the saying goes, but we do run the risk of getting burned. In fact, bitterness and uncontrolled anger can hurt us as much as they hurt the person we are trying to get even with.
Loving those who are hard to love may sound ridiculous, but if we want to see a different kind of world, one where love, mercy, compassion, humility, and grace run the show, then perhaps reacting in a more loving way makes sense. Perhaps, instead of sending in the tanks, we can send in the meek, the humble, and the peacemakers, and see a different, surprisingly wonderful result. Now, wouldn’t that be something?