Retaliating with Love

Our natural human instinct tells us to respond in an equal or greater manner when something is done to us. “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” It only makes sense, right?  We can’t let people walk all over us and we need to let them know that. That’s our human instincts. But we have been touched by the divine and Jesus came so that we may share in His divinity. And because of that, how we respond ought to be different.

Jesus offered a drastically different approach to retaliation. Instead of slapping someone back we are asked to turn the other cheek. Rather than just doing the bare minimum we are asked to go the extra mile.  And when someone asks something of us, we are asked to not turn our backs on them, even if they had not been kind to us. This goes against our instincts. This only makes sense if and when we realize that Jesus was trying to tell the people that “it’s never about you.” Life is not about “you.” Our lives are to be lived for others. When we come to know how much we are really loved by the Father, we will come to understand why Jesus said what He said and why it makes sense. We are not to retaliate with force or non-action. We are to retaliate with love. It is love that will move hearts. 

Force or “pay back” is really an attempt to make ourselves feel better, but it really doesn’t work. Think about your own experiences. When I say something bad back or try to get someone back, I usually end up feeling like a jerk. That’s because deep down I know that’s not what I was made for. I was made for love.  And so are you. So let us turn the other cheek and go the extra mile today.

Click here for today's audio reflection. 



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