Have you ever been hurt by someone?
So hurt that the pain has stuck with you and makes it hard to get through the day without dwelling on it?
They lied to you. They lashed out at you.
They betrayed you. They abused you.
Emotionally. Mentally. Physically. Spiritually. Wherever the pain resides, one thing is true: it hurts.
Oftentimes, pain is deafening.
It can be so loud that it is all you hear, all you see, and all you feel.
Surely, there are times when the pain subsides, even for a few moments, a few days, or a few weeks.
And that can make things even more difficult because the result is you feel like you’re on a roller coaster. Down… up… down… down… up… up… throw in a corkscrew and loopty loop… down… up…
“How are you doing?” someone asks.
Your mind searches your heart. Hey, heart. How are you doing? Can you tell me? And please, when you answer, do me a favor, and speak to me in English. Last time I tried talking to you, I didn’t understand you. It’s like you’re speaking a different language. Make it plain, please. Make it simple. Ugh. Here we go again. I don’t know what you’re saying. I just don’t know.
Snap back. They’re waiting for you to answer.
Can you be honest? Or do you just go with the simple, totally untrue telling of a word that has become a normal defense mechanism for these common interactions?
“Pretty good,” you respond.
And as those words leave your mouth, your heart shrinks back, knowing that you just lied to this person in front of you.
Because, let’s face it, you aren’t doing pretty good, but it’s easier to say that than it is to step into the ambiguous wilderness of saying, “I don’t know.”
Pain. When a person is on the other side of it, it can be easy to fantasize at getting back at them.
You scheme. You converse. With no one but an imaginary version of the person who is responsible for your pain.
But now, with every step back into the anger fantasy, you’re doing one-two combos at yourself. Left jab, right straight. Left jab, right straight. Directly on the chin of your heart.
It’s just a way to deal with the pain. To grab for control. Even if it is make-believe.
Pain isn’t fun.
But how we respond to it makes all the difference. Jesus’ half-brother, James spends a good deal talking about pain and suffering in his letter to Christ followers scattered across the Roman world.
He even speaks on their behalf and shouts down some rich land owners who were taking advantage of these impoverished Saints (see James 5:1-6). His declaration of judgment on these oppressors puts this truth on full display for anyone and everyone to see:
No wrong will go unpunished.
For the oppressed, the person full of pain, this is a truth to rest in.
Justice will roll down from the mountaintop and fill the valley.
For the oppressor, the person who has hurt another, this is a truth that demands repentance.
No wrong will go unpunished.
The playing field has been leveled. The oppressor will get theirs. The oppressed will be relieved of their suffering.
And at the same time, the idea that no wrong will go unpunished is a little hard to take. Because you’re probably like me. Not just a pain-receiver but also a pain-distributor.
You’ve wronged. I’ve wronged. Let’s make it plain, we’ll call it what it is: sin.
And so here it is again. No wrong will go unpunished.
Every one of your sins will be punished.
But the question is this: will this punishment be paid on your back or Jesus’ back?
The King of the Universe—Jesus Christ—declares that He’ll willingly take your sin and place it on His back, paying the infinite price to have your sin be paid for so that you can be ransomed.
What does He require from you? Surrender.
For those who have been hurt by someone, rest in the fact that no wrong will go unpunished.
For those who have hurt someone, repent and turn back to God because no wrong will go unpunished.
Rest or repent.
Or maybe… for you… for me… it’s both.
Want more?
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