Vengeance Is Not Mine

Listening to the minister Sunday morning, she read a passage from Romans:

^“9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal,be fervent in spirit,^[a] serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^[b] Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[c] to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."²⁰To 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." ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Over my career, I have had people who have done me harm – corporately, financially – in ways that I could not imagine doing myself, or could not bring myself to do.  I have always kept the list of three to myself, trying not to dwell on them, but sometimes in the dark of a sleepless night, I do utter their names, never with flattering words; it is my revenge.

Yesterday, I was reminded, once again, that vengeance is not mine, but is reserved for a higher power.  Instead of retribution, I should be kind and forgiving of them.

The passage of time and distance has separated me from my three adversaries; we all live in far-away places, hundreds of miles from each other and have not seen one another for years.  On the surface, it makes little sense to care any longer about the issues that divided us, yet…I still feel the tip of their daggers in my back.

Another memory came to me while sitting in the pew: my list had included four names, but the fourth one drowned 12 years ago in the Pacific off the California Coast.