Define yourself by not repaying evil

It is easy to repay evil for evil. Yes, those who hurt you, bullied you, made you feel small/bad/worthless; who stole your peace and joy. Yes, you might be justified in making their lives hell, but you will be no better than they are.

Romans 12:17-19 says Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Romans 12:17 says be careful, this is a cautionary verse. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. Can you please everyone? No. Will everyone be happy with you? No. Is it your job to make them happy? No. But you have a responsibility to obey the word of God. Be careful not to do evil to them, though they do such to you. You cannot plan their downfall; you cannot continuously speak evil of them to poison others minds.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. The quantifier is ‘if’. Now if you have a husband beating you to a pulp, you get out before he kills you! I mean it. I have witnessed a woman stay in such a situation, looking to maintain peace in the face of immense abuse, unfortunately she lost her life. If you are in danger, if your worth is being tanked at every junction, you can maintain some distance. Maintaining a distance does not mean you scheme to do them harm. Maintain a distance and bring them to the Lord. Leave room for God to deal with the matter. Leave room for God to exonerate you and lift you up. Joseph could have done his brothers harm. They plotted to kill him. They beat him and sold him as a slave to the Midianites. They had no compassion or love. They never wanted to see him again. However God lifted Joseph up. In time his brothers became vulnerable. Joseph was in the position to do them harm. They were at his mercy, but he had already put them in the hands of God and God dealt with them accordingly. Don’t spend another moment of your life allowing what was done to you to define you.

You and God can define you. I pray you will live at peace with yourself first, and then you live at peace with others. Many do not know how to live at peace with themselves, and so living at peace with others is practically impossible. Find peace in God, and all things will be added to you.

God bless.

Linda Faith

Linda is a prolific writer. Her body of work includes inspiring poems, fictional books, and Christian living empowering books. You can find her work on www.amazon.com. Linda is also the pioneer of Joy Women, a platform she employs to inspire women all over the world to be all God has destined them to be.

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