“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:19-21 (ESV)
Dick tossed his bag on the chair and sat down in the one beside it. Everything he owned was in the bag. He was 12 years old and had already seen the ugly edge of life, many times over. Abandoned at birth, he had been in and out of many foster homes . . . some good and some not. He could have written a book on all the ways to experience wrath. He didn’t see how God’s could be much worse than what he had known. Perhaps now his life would be better since he was finally being adopted. His ‘new’ parents seemed like good people.
The social worker informed the couple that while Dick possessed few material goods, his psychological baggage was huge. Yet, he had an enormous capacity for recognizing good in others.
As a welcome gift, his new parents gave Dick a puppy. You would have thought Dick had died and gone to heaven, he was so happy. On the same day that Dick arrived at his new home, some unsavory neighbors moved in down the street. They had several mature dogs, loads of guns, but not much else. It didn’t take the new dogs long to create havoc in the neighborhood. The once quiet street soon became chaotic as neighbors dealt with overturned trash, ruined shrubbery, midnight barking, and apathetic dog owners. About a month after Dick received his new puppy, the new neighbors’ dogs caught it in the yard and killed it. Dick thought his world had ended and his parents thought he would come apart at the seams but he didn’t. He wasn’t even angry. Instead he went over to the dogs’ owners and poured out coals of kindness. He explained to them that he knew their dogs didn’t mean to kill his puppy. He assured them he didn’t hold any grudges. After such generosity, Dick’s father put away his shotgun and his mother went into the closet to pray.
Soon those people moved away and the neighborhood became tranquil and at peace again. Six months later, an envelope arrived addressed to Dick with money inside. Those old neighbors couldn’t deal with the burning coals on their heads.
Dear Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Deliver us from a vengeful spirit and empower us with kindness and generosity. Enable us to see the good in others. Give us understanding that we might share grace with those around us. This I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Let us praise God for his kindness to us and live to share it with others,