Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord." (Romans 12:19)

Philip Yancey said, "By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues to fairness for God to work out."

I thought I did a good job at practicing forgiveness and leaving out any sort of revenge, but looking back at this week alone, I have a long way to go. Just at the concert the other night I was annoyed by two rude people who kept pushing their way forward, without any sign of courtesy, and when they got to me, I let one through but not the other. I stood firm, held my ground, and I separated them. They had to shout every time they wanted to talk to each other.

I convinced myself that I wasn't annoyed anymore but instead amused, but after reading this verse, I realized that I was only fooling myself. My amusement was just a mask for revenge. I should have let them through no matter how rude they were. For one thing, they were true fanatics and I wasn't, and for another, an act of grace is a true sign of a Christian.

Live and learn,
jonas