Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. —Matthew 5:38–39 (kjv)
I have been witnessing a lot of arguments lately—on the streets, in cars, even between friends—and I find myself frozen, unsure what to do. Then, the other day, I suddenly remembered an instance from my childhood.
The playground in elementary school was a safe and fun place, but by junior high, relationships between boys had become more complicated and dangerous. Just as my memories of elementary days usually center on sunshine and climbing on the jungle gym, my memories of junior high are equally dark. There were fights almost every day.
The violence of other boys scared me. I knew that a Christian was supposed to be different, but I had no idea how to accomplish anything but fear.
One afternoon when school was over, two boys began to argue and push each other. I was standing next to a friend of mine who was also a Christian. I thought that he, too, was frightened. And maybe he was, but he surprised me by what he did. Just as the boys went from pushing to punching each other, my friend ran to them. “Don’t! Don’t! Don’t!” he yelled, hiding his face as he waved his arms in front of them. The commotion that my friend caused made the boys stop. One of them ran away. The other began to cry. It was the most courageous act that I ever saw.
