GRL SERIES – But the Jerk Is Getting Away With It!

GOD IN REAL LIFE

But The Jerk Is Getting Away With It!

What do you feel when someone who has wronged you appears to continue on with no consequence?  How do you deal with that rightly?

This is a tough one.

Any of us could probably compile a list of at least a few people who meet the criteria of “jerks who seem to have gotten away with it” after they hurt us.

Anger and indignation is our normal human response.  So is our scream for justice.

I came face to face with one of the jerks from my past today.  Well, almost face-to-face.   It was the first time I saw the jerk in the flesh in quite awhile.  Suddenly, anger and indignation I thought I had long dealt with arose from its grave and jumped on top of me.

So what did I do in the heat of the moment?  Well, first off I didn’t do very well.  I started describing to myself this persons character (or lack thereof) with many colorful adjectives.  Since I could feel the indignation starting to crawl all over me and gain momentum, I knew I was standing on a slippery slope.  So I contacted a friend who knew the story and voiced agreement with my descriptive adjectives.  Thankfully, my friend didn’t preach to me in that moment about forgiveness, but agreed that yeah, it was pretty lousy what happened, and offered an outrageous idea for revenge that made us both laugh.  Then he encouraged me by saying he knew I would handle it the right way.

I needed that.  I needed to be heard and validated right then by someone who knows me and cares.

As soon as I was able, I got myself into some Scripture and prayer.  Within minutes I could feel my peace returning and the anger and indignation thrown back into the grave where it belongs.

Bear in mind, I had already completed a whole lot of soul work dealing with the issues involved and invested much time asking the Lord to help me forgive this person, and bring healing and blessing into this person’s life.  So it’s not like I was starting from scratch by running across this individual today.

Here’s the rub – this person did me wrong in several arenas (including financially) then just carried on and APPEARS to be experiencing good things in life ever since!  They’ve never made amends for their behavior, nor acknowledged any wrongdoing.

So what do I do with that?

The Lord took me straight here today:

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.  Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it only leads to evil.  For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.  A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.  But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.    Psalm 37: 1-11 (NIV)

Right now, it’s really not about what this other person did to harm me.  It’s about what I choose to do with what happened that is important.

God knows.  He saw it all.  I’m only responsible to deal with me.  I have, and I will continue to do so.  I’ve humbly dealt with the issues it raised within me that needed to be addressed.  At this stage, I just need to “commit my way to the Lord and trust in Him” – He’s got this.

If I run across this person again, I merely need to remind myself of the grace I’ve received when I didn’t deserve it and turn my focus right back on the Lord.  If I can keep that perspective then I will be qualified to “dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture”.