“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
That's what Romans 12:21 says, but I’ll be honest, that is not always where my heart naturally goes first. When somebody does something wrong to me, my first instinct is usually to want an equal and opposite response. But the Bible gives a very different way.
I was thinking about how even science and math kind of help explain this. If you add more of something, you're not decreasing it... You are increasing it. If you add more acid to acid, you don't make it less acidic, you just get more acid. To change what is happening, you have to add something different.
And that makes me think about the way Jesus tells us to respond to evil.
Matthew 5:39-42 says, “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
That's not easy. Jesus is not pretending it is. But He is showing us that evil is not overcome by adding more evil back into the situation. Anger does not heal anger. Bitterness does not fix bitterness. Revenge does not bring peace.
Kindness, mercy, patience, forgiveness, generosity... those are not weak responses. They are Christlike responses. They show that my life is being led by something bigger than my first reaction.
So when evil comes against me, I want to remember that my response matters. I may not be able to control what someone else does, but I can ask Jesus to help me respond in a way that looks like Him.