Then it hit me. While I was irritated, obsessing over “my turn” to brightlight him, I spoiled God’s blessings surrounding me. The drive from Kingsport to Bristol on 11W is pleasant, not to mention the sunrise I completely ignored while being consumed with the situation. I allowed myself to be preoccupied with getting even, ruining the beauty of that morning.
Sadly, I gave up control. I could’ve slowed down or pulled over and let the guy with the bright lights pass me. I could’ve increased my speed slightly and instead of self-righteously using my cruise control, move along a little quicker and escape his bright lights.
When we are offended we assume we know the other person’s motivations, but the chances are there are circumstances we’ve no clue about. The guy following me might not have realized his brights were on, or maybe his headlights needed repairing and only worked on bright. Instead of looking for the best in people (like we all want for ourselves) the lens of vengeance blinds us, it distorts reality by showing us people in the worst possible light.
Seeking vengeance not only ignores God’s command to let Him take care of it, we neglect God’s command to love others, to treat others how we want to be treated, and we forget about not judging others by a higher standard. Vengeance (which can’t undo the past) doesn’t bring out the best in us, it brings out our worst -- reducing us even lower than our “villain’s” own character, maybe that’s why Prov 19:11 says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”
Vengeance robs us of enjoying our blessings, it dehumanizes the people we hope to punish, it steals God’s role of administering justice properly all the while pretending we are the only important person in the universe. Whenever we withhold grace for whatever reasons, we forfeit the foundation of our faith -- demonizing others is destructive to our souls.
Vengeance is problematic, namely, we can’t control it once we unleash it. We hear too often of how drive-by shootings turn out -- think about the toddler in a highchair or kindergartner watching TV on the couch caught in the crossfire.
Most of the time, our motivations are petty/immature because vengeance deceives us into believing we are all-powerful but instead it reveals just how weak we really are. Worst of all, the desire for revenge becomes our god because we practically worship it, giving it all of our attention, allowing it to dominate us, freely giving it our strongest devotion possible.
Originally published in the Kingsport Times News 6/23/23
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