Turn the Other Cheek...

 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow." (Matthew 5:38-42)

I've heard this verse come up in my life time after time. Whenever someone does something crappy to me, someone will say, "Hey Becca, turn the other cheek!" That's all fine and dandy, but what does that REALLY mean? There was a movie that came out a few years ago called, "The Jesus Movie: Epic Mini Series" it was basically an account of the life of Jesus. It focused more on him growing up and going into the ministry than the death. They had a scene where invaders came into one of the town and killed everyone. Even though the people that were killed were really bad people, Jesus cried over their bodies because the loss of life. He talks to the men that committed the murders and ends up getting slapped on the cheek. Jesus literally turns his head and says, "Strike me again." 

I was trying to think of instances in my life where I did that and I couldn't come up with any good examples. Most of the time when I did something like that, it was out of spite or just to prove a point that I was the better person. Tell me how one can be the better person by getting slapped around? I started to think about abusive relationships and how women will sometimes take it over and over again because of this particular verse. News Flash! Read it one more time....

There's a lot of symbolizing in this verse. What does turning the other cheek look like? For me, I grew up getting bullied day after day. People didn't like me just because of how I looked or because of the things that I was interested in. I got slapped around so much that I ran out of cheeks to turn! 

I noticed something about my faith and my life. Turning the other cheek isn't about screaming scripture in someone's face or boasting about do more than you're told to. It's about moving on. Pray for them and have faith that you will recover just as much as they will. Pray for God's plan to happen. Turning the other cheek means letting God take control. That's the best revenge you can put out there! 

So what are you waiting for?

Becca