After we finish the lesson in Sunday school, the children are allowed to play. They love play time! On one particular Sunday, Jay decided that he would run around the room and hit some of the other kids. I’m not sure how many kids he hit, but I do know that he hit two for sure – Zena and Rachel. Zena ran to me and said, “Ms. Crystal, Jay hit me!” “Jay, come here!” I said. “Did you hit Zena?” He was quiet of course! Rachel came over too and said, “He hit me too Ms. Crystal.” I said, “Rachel, why didn’t you come and tell me?” Rachel said, “OH! I-I-I-I HIT HIM BACK!”
When someone hurts you, it’s natural to want to hurt them back but the true mark of Christianity is when someone hurts you, you first make an effort to separate the person from the sin, talk to them about what they did to hurt you and offer them your forgiveness. But often times, we immediately assume what they did was intentional, we become bitter and instead of focusing on reconciliation, we focus on retaliation. We develop an unforgiving spirit, where our eyes are no longer on God but fixed on the other person or ourselves.
So, if someone has hurt you today, pray for that person and offer them your forgiveness. Christ tells us in Ephesians 4:32 to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” You may say but they don’t deserve it but neither did you. And never forget, how people treat you is their karma; but how you react is yours. In the famous words of Will Smith, “Let God deal with the things they do, because hate in your heart will consume you too.” So, forgive who hurt you. Not because they deserve it, but because you deserve peace.
-Crystal Denkins
