Wimp or Warrior?

  

I'm not a fighter. My dad taught me to box and I liked sparring with him. I wonder what happened to my ol’ leather boxing gloves? Once in the 5th Grade, on the way home from school, I wrestled with Teddy and struck him in the face.  I don’t remember why we fought.

In Christ’s Sermon on the Mount we’re confronted with an instruction that flies in the face of a society that often demands justice or at the very least a response - reacting to a stinging attack with the same degree of hatefulness. The ancient solution to an altercation, physical or verbal is: “Turning the other cheek" and it’s a difficult principle for many people to understand. “…But I tell you, do not fight with the man who wants to fight. Whoever hits you on the right side of the face, turn so he can hit the other side also…” Mt 5:39

Often we get snookered into thinking we must NOT let ourselves be the losers when others attack us - we can’t let them get away with it! Turning a cheek doesn’t imply pacifism or wimpiness. Rather, it’s the hallmark of a true warrior as is fortitude, self-control and the power to resist the urge to strike back. When we turn the other cheek, we don’t fearfully run away from the person who strikes out at us, but we face them confidently, without anger.

Maybe it's better, more benevolent, to respond as a healer - one who knows how to forgive. I like the word Forgiveness because it includes the word give. When we choose to forgive we give the gift of not retaliating. I’m sorry @Ted Mech, I apologize.

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