Dodgem Cars

One of our family’s favourite rides at the carnival, fair or show is the Dodgem Cars. My three sons and I get on those cars, and we are determined to cause as much mayhem for each other as possible. We aim to bump into each other, to put each other off course, make them stop altogether is good, and we race ahead laughing at their misfortune. Unfortunately, other innocent people tend to get caught up in our crashes and bumps as well. But hey, that’s the feature of the ride – you know when you buckle up that seatbelt that you’re going to get hit, so no sympathy.

Regrettably, this is the way some people live life.

Their focus is on getting ahead, no matter who they crash into along the way. And if someone ‘bumps’ them, they floor the accelerator and chase after them, hoping to bump into the culprit harder than what they had done to them.

It’s called revenge. Paying people back. Getting even. This hunger for vengeance seems to be have been part of human nature forever.

The funny thing with dodgem cars is that there is no finish line. No one actually wins. You just go round and round in an endless quest to cause each other grief.

Same when it comes to revenge.

It costs time, physical and emotional energy. And most often, the avengers don’t feel any more satisfied. It keeps the wound open, prolonging the pain of the original offense. It keeps the feud boiling away, and often begins a cycle of retribution that spirals downward, at times leading even to death. And it doesn’t seem to ever dissipate the anger.

Jesus spoke a lot about revenge and forgiveness, and much of it sounds crazy. When one of his disciples asked what the limit was on the number of times you should forgive someone, and suggested it was perhaps seven, Jesus answered “seventy times seven”.

He told his followers to turn the other cheek if struck, and not to hate our enemies but to love them.

Sound crazy? Unfair? Why this need to forgive?

Jesus explained that because God is prepared to forgive us for all the things we have done wrong, we need to be prepared to forgive those who have wronged us. If we don’t think we should be expected to forgive people who’ve hurt us, how then can we turn around and expect God to forgive us?

When we harbour resentment and bitterness and anger, it hurts and damages us. Seeking revenge does little or nothing to alleviate it. Only forgiveness can.

If someone ‘bumps’ you in life, follow the advice of Jesus - forget revenge and forgive instead. And as you do, be thankful that there is a God who is prepared to forgive us for our wrongs.

www.salvationarmy.org.au/mornington