Resist Not part 1
We always seem like we are ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Like we LOOK for reasons to fight. And, in religious circles, we use phrases like "Prayer Warrior" or "Tough Love." We--for some ungodly reason--talk about "getting the sin out of the camp." As if that is our job or our responsibility. Listen: If the Holy Spirit can't convict someone about their behavior you surely won't be able to. It's not your job to. It's not your responsibility. You can't change people. And you're not supposed to. Look at Matthew 5:39, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." I think it's easy to say, "This means don't retaliate." And that's true. I say that a lot. You shouldn't retaliate. All retaliation will do is escalate the situation. And that shouldn't be our motivation. Blessed are the peacemakers, right? That's always been my philosophy. I just want peace. I'm not concerned with punishing people. I just want things to be good. So today, and in this Rant series, I want to focus on the phrase "resist not evil." And I think that's important because we think we have to fight fire with fire. But, in reality, Romans 12:21 says, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Seems a little bit contradictory, but it's really not. There's a difference between resisting and overcoming. And it all comes down to turning the other cheek. People are going to do what they're going to do. You can't really stop them. Most of the time the best you can do is remove yourself from a bad situation. Shrug your shoulders and walk away. Give it everything you've got and then let that either be enough... or not. Because all you've got is all you've got. If someone expects you to, or wants you to, give more than what you're capable of giving... that's an unhealthy relationship. That's toxic behavior. You literally cannot give more than what you have. How could you? But here's the key: You can't make toxic people not be toxic. People are who they are and people are going to do what they're going to do. Someone, somewhere, sometime might slap you in the face. And it might be because you deserve it... but it might not. It might have nothing to do with you. Either way, all you can do--ALL you can do--is control yourself and your reaction. You can make things better by not retalitating, not trying to change them, not resisting evil... and turning the other cheek. You can make things better by overcoming evil with good. Look at Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up strife." So the question is: Helping or hurting? What's your goal in this (and any... and every...) situation? Do you want to turn away wrath or stir up strife? Do you want to make war or peace? Jesus fought (and won) the war to end all wars on the cross. We don't have to fight anymore. We don't have to lash out when someone hits us. We can, instead, love it or leave it. If they don't want what we have to offer... we can shrug our shoulders and move on. Not everybody WILL pick up what you're laying down. And that's ok. Sometimes all you can do is turn the other. But don't stand there and let people keep slapping you. Move on. Resist not. Fight back not. Love always. Even if it's from a distance.