«If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame» (Romans 12:20, GNT).
WHEN I WAS a teenager, I saw the film The Phantom of the Opera, based on the novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. The plot seemed interesting to me because it reflects the human condition; in fact, it is inspired by real events. In case you have not seen it, I will summarize the story line for you: Everyone in the city of Paris believes that the Opera House is under a spell by a mysterious phantom who causes accidents and deaths. However, the truth is that there is no phantom, but rather a man. In love with a young singer, he harms other people so that she will be successful, and when she finally achieves it, he invites her to his world.
She then discovers that her benefactor is a young man with a face that was disfigured because someone had thrown acid on him. is why he had taken refuge in the theater, and, from his hideout, manipulated people who worked there. The character that pulls all the strings is resentment, and that is how it happens in life: when we grudge someone, that resentment determines everything we do and can lead us to become manipulators. Wouldn’t you say that doing so is giving too much importance to an emotion that we should banish from our hearts? When we make room for it, we are in reality consuming ourselves, as if acid were thrown at us. Nothing survives: our mental, physical, social, and spiritual health are affected.
No one can deny that there are people who harm us in life; however, neither can we deny the call of the Bible to leave the matter in the Lord’s hands. Therefore, my dear friend, if there is resentment within you that is consuming you, remember what the Lord said: «Vengeance is Mine, and recompense» (Deuteronomy 32:35). If it is His, it is not yours. is what Jesus explains to you about your part: «Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? . . . And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?’ (Matthew 5:44—48, NIV).
Do you want to put an end to your enemies? Stop holding a grudge against them.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2020
«One Day at a Time»
From: Patricia Muñoz Bertozzi
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Magda Sanz T
