Vengeance is Mine

Don't ever say, "I'll get you for that!"

Wait for God; He'll settle the score.

Proverbs 20:22
 

Do not take revenge, my friends, but 
leave room for God's wrath, for it is written,
"Vengeance is mine; I will repay," says the Lord.
Romans 12:19

It is the summer Olympics - one of the greatest sports contests on the planet.  Teams from almost every nation on earth gather together to compete in the pool, on the field, around the track, and through the air.  When one thinks of top-notch athletes, one thinks of skill, class and sportsmanship.  Unfortunately, not every competitor comes up to snuff in the class and sportsmanship categories.

In Monday's soccer semi-final between Canada and the United States, Canadian Melissa Tancredi intentionally stomps on the head of a fallen U.S. midfielder who is down on the pitch.  What should have been a red card foul (with automatic ejection of Tancredi from the game) went uncalled.  France's Nic Batum, frustrated in the final moments of a loss to Spain in basketball, delivered a roundhouse, close-fisted blow to the groin of one of the Spanish players, who collapsed in agony.  In the Argentina vs. U.S. basketball game a short time later, an Argentinian player delivered the same blow to the U.S.'s Carmelo Anthony.  In each of these situations, the first reaction of the victimized team is to wipe the other team off the map - immediately and physically.  Fortunately, cooler heads and wiser coaches prevailed.

Revenge is defined as "a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, real or perceived."  Also termed retaliation, vengeance, retribution or payback, the desire for revenge is the most common human reaction to pain and suffering inflicted by another.  You want the other person to hurt as badly (or worse) as they have hurt you.  Unfortunately, however, the act of revenge often brings as much pain and suffering on the one retaliating as it does on the intended recipient.  That is why the Chinese philosopher Confucius said, "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."

All of us are faced with instances in life when we are slighted, slammed, and slugged for no apparent good reason.  Getting back at the other person is almost always our opening reaction.  God says, Hey - cool it.  Leave it to Me.  When all is said and done, I will see that justice is done.  As another proverb says, Revenge is a dish best served cold.  Just be sure you let God be the waiter.

Giving of What You Have

Sinners are always wanting what they don't have,

the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

Proverbs 21:26

It is hard to believe, but we are already advancing into August, and soon the summer break will be over.  September is just around the corner, bringing with it the start of school.  Yesterday a friend in Arizona posted pictures on Facebook of her kids already in back-to-school gear.  The stores have long been in back-to-school mode, and this last weekend, we had a Tax-Free Weekend in Virginia for school supplies, clothing and shoes.  

I live in the Beulah neighborhood of Chesterfield County, right next to the Bensley neighborhood to the east of us.  These two neighborhoods are the poorest of the entire county, and no where is this more clearly reflected than in the local schools.  Beulah Elementary and Bensley Elementary students are so poor, many of them can barely afford clothes to wear to school, much less the required backpack filled with school supplies. The average elementary school pack with required goods costs $50 or more - far too much money for the average family in this neighborhood.

Enter Beulah United Methodist Church, situated right smack dab in the middle of the Beulah/Bensley area.  Every year, the mission team and the staff pile empty backpacks on a table in the foyer, along with the school supply lists for grades K-5.  Two weeks ago, 32 backpacks were put out, and 32 backpacks disappeared by the end of the worship services.  Soon those bags, filled to the brim with crayons, paper, pencils and more, will be returned to the school in time to be given to needy families during late August registration.  I have five backpacks sitting in my living room, waiting to be transported to Bensley Elementary.  The need is so great, I wish I could give fifty instead of five, but I know that every little bit helps.

Do you have an elementary school near you?  A quick phone call to the administration will tell you whether or not they could use help in providing school supplies to low-income families.  Every aspect of life can be difficult in this economy.  For those of us can, there is a blessing in giving of what we have to help those who have less. 

Justification by Appearance

We justify our actions by appearances;

God examines our motives.

Proverbs 21:2

After September 11, there has been both a blatant and a subtle backlash against individuals who appear to be Muslim.  I say "appear to be," because many people who are not Muslim have been the victims of racial profiling by professional and the everyday man on the street. Such has been the experience of the Sikh community, whose male members have been deemed Muslim because of their colorful turbans and full beards.  Amardeep Singh, program director of the Sikh Coalition, said Sikhs had become "collateral damage" in a 24-hour news machine that uses dark-skinned, bearded, turbaned men as visual shorthand for terrorists.  Yesterday, this truth was driven home when a gunman invaded the worship service at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, killing six people and seriously wounding four others.

In point of fact, the Sikh faith is based on peace.  A Sikh must have the courage to defend the rights of all who are wrongfully oppressed or persecuted, irrespective of religion, color, caste or creed.  It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, with over 30 million Sikhs and is one of the most steadily growing. They are far from propagating terrorism - enjoying strong community and living quiet, peaceful lives.

That peace was shattered on Sunday by a gunman with ties to white supremacy, whose life was concentrated on hating those whose appearance seemed to stand for everything non-white, non-USA.  We have little to go on to determine why the killer acted as he did; he lost his life in a gun battle with a policeman outside the temple.  What is clear is that a man with intolerance in his heart and violence in his soul attacked an innocent group of people he knew nothing about, just because their outward appearance was an affront to him. 

The families of the victims and the survivors need our prayers - prayers for their grief and pain, and prayers for ourselves - for our prejudice and our narrow-minded fear.  We are all in need of God's grace and peace.