Mugged the Mugger

So many of you have already seen this story by now. It's an older one, but still an amazing one.

People focus so much on the "Victim" in the story who is really a hero.

But I want to focus on the Mugger.

Who knows his story, or how he got there.

But you better believe he has some skeletons and that its taken a lot to push him to holding up people with a knife. Not only does it take a criminal bent, but the benefit-risk ratio obviously says that he doesn't have a lot to lose if he does lose . . . and gets caught.

But read the story. See how easily this kid melted when he was treated how he "Shouldn't" have been by his victim?

This says a lot. Whenever someone wrongs us, its natural to want to wrong them back. When someone insults us, we insult them back. When someone hits us, we hit them back. When someone mistreats us, we mistreat them. And the worst part is, is that these reactions are socially acceptable, even for Christians.

We're all about Justice. And nothing about Mercy.

I speak in absolutes, when I don't mean absolutes.

But all I can hear is people doing whatever they can to have justice against those who hurt them.

Or my dad telling me when I was growing up in Grade School, "If anyone ever hits you, you beat the snot out of them and don't worry about getting in trouble".

Or someone who is mad at someone and says something hurtful so that person then, to save face, says something hurtful back even if it isn't relevant.

Or the news telling me about someone who bombed someone and so someone bombed them even though someone didn't think this was right and now a lot of someones are upset, but even more someones are dead and no one really sees its not solving anything.

Yeah, all hear is about stuff like that and very little of things like in the story.

Vengeance seems to be our worlds therapy.

But I want this.

Because-

you see, vengeance is my therapy as well. Proof Right Here.

You see, publicly sharing stories of customers in a way to make them look inept is a great way to strike back at them in a "Christian" way (that being, treat them somewhat nice to their face, but not mean it in my heart). If "vengeance" may seem an overstatement, knowing my heart, I can assure you its not.

I confess.

I want to love ESPECIALLY those who don't deserve it. Because thats what the guy in the story did. Thats what Jesus did.

Imparted love, not required it.