When someone’s sin hits you like a stone, hurting you deeply, there are four things you can do. Here’s the second—You can get them back. You can pick up the stone and throw, making them hurt just like they hurt you. That might feel like the right thing to do, but vengeance won’t work.
Just ask Samson and the Philistines. In the Bible book called Judges, the Philistines threatened to kill Samson’s wife, so Samson killed 30 of their men. So the Philistines killed Samson’s girl and her dad. So Samson picked up that stone and covered the rocks with Philistine blood. So the Philistines picked up that stone, bribed Samson’s girlfriend, captured their rival, and gouged out his eyes. So blind Samson picked up that stone and tore down the temple where the Philistines gathered to mock him. They died. He died. Everyone died. The end.
No matter how ugly or bloody it got, the score was never settled.
You won’t settle the score either. If you make them hurt, it won’t help. Hearts don’t heal like that. In fact, once your stone is thrown, they’ll pick it up and throw it right back. Perhaps that’s why Jesus taught: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies” (Matthew 5:43,44).
If you want more pain, then make them pay. But if you prefer peace, choose the path of forgiveness. Just like Jesus chose to forgive you and give you peace with our Father above.
