Healing the Wounds of Trauma

Lord.’ Instead, as the scripture says: ‘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.’ Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good. As Christians, we no longer have the responsibility to take revenge for the wrongs done to us or our families. We are to show love and allow God to punish others (Mt 5.38–42). Revenge does not bring peace to our hearts or bring back what was lost. It only perpetuates the violence. Each human life is sacred because it reflects God’s image (Gn 1.27). We are not to destroy or mistreat it, but we can defend our lives and the lives of others. Godworks through governments to bring justice, punish evil doers, and protect the innocent. The apostle Paul speaks concerning how Christians should treat those in authority. He says: Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God’s permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God. Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment on himself. For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good, but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of those in authority? Then do what is good, and they will praise you, because they are God’s servants working for your own good. But if you do evil, then be afraid of them, because their power to punish is real. They are God’s servants and carry out God’s punishment on those who do evil (Ro 13.1–4). Even when governments are unjust and ineffective, we should not take the law into our own hands. The most powerful thing Jesus did was to make himself completely vulnerable to his enemies while he was on the cross (1 P 2.21–23). People like Gandhi in India andMartin Luther King Jr. in the United States have challenged governments by standing against evil without using violence. These movements have resulted in correcting widespread injusticemore effectively than a violent reaction could have, and those involved were not guilty of shedding blood.

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How Can We Live as Christians in the Midst of Conflict?