Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to
me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.” Proverbs 24:29
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy”
Matthew 5:7
Many
of us are tempted to retaliate when we feel we have been wronged. Small siblings are well known for their
retaliation, and such childhood scraps may be broken up with a request that
they should live together peaceably. It
is considered a mark of maturity when such events cease. Sadly, we all know that this is frequently
not the case.
Justice
may demand that the perceived or actual wrong be acknowledged and that in some
cases punishment be meted out. So why
did the writer of Proverbs advise against seeking payback? Perhaps it is because, in seeking
retaliation, more harm comes to the person who retaliates than to the person
who started it all. To keep a store of
wrongs can hold one back, and what we often need is truth and reconciliation in
order to start afresh.
In
Matthew 5:7, Jesus says “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy”.
Today
is April Fool's Day. Are you prepared to
be a fool for God and turn your back on the desire to get back at people – are
you ready to be merciful? Let your April
Fool's jokes be all for fun, not for spite.
Lord, we ask
you to save us from the temptation of dwelling on the wrongs we suffer.
Give us grace
to seek reconciliation rather than revenge.
Winifred Jones
St Werburgh’s
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