Rom 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord
Revenge is never good, although it is enticing in our minds. Someone wrongs us, and all we can think about is getting even. We dream of the person being judged by God and are ready to pounce at any sign of retribution or justice. The people in Rome know how you feel. They were being persecuted by the emperor, and at one point they had to flee to the catacombs for safety. They just wanted to live in peace, but it was easy to fall into the trap of wanting revenge.
When you’ve been hurt, it is natural to want to get back at the person. If they said hurtful words, we want to come back with a zinger. If they hurt us in any other way, we want to see them get what is coming to them. The interesting thing is that it never happens how we want it to. Then we run the risk of becoming bitter, because bitterness is getting hurt and not getting our way out of it. Bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. We can let it take root in our heart because it is hard to uproot it.
If you’ve been hurt, never avenge yourself; leave it to the wrath of God. Once you pick yourself up, get along with life. Don’t look back. Just ask the Lord to heal your hurt. Most of all, don’t rehash it in your mind or endlessly talk about it with other “concerned people.” We need to leave it in God’s hands and move on. He sees the full picture and can handle it way better than we can. God sees when His children are hurt, and He will take care of His own. Trust in that.
You are loved by God. The word beloved means near and dear to my heart. That is how God looks and feels about you. He loves you and wants His best for you. Live in that love and desire everything He has for you. People will mistreat you because you follow Jesus. Accept it and take it as an entrance into an exclusive club. Whining or complaining will only stagnate your spiritual growth. Focus forward and start moving in that direction.
