When Right isn't Always Right
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, Matthew 5:43-44
We all have our rights. Your right to have freedom of speech according to the first amendment, the right to choose what you want to do with your life (though I’m sure your parents are a big factor to that), and the list goes on for quite a while. But can it be that although you have every right to do something, that it may not necessarily be the right thing to do? Let me explain myself.
A doctor once told me a story of a scenario they had in their clinic. It was a typical day and they were working with different chemicals and injections. Unfortunately one of the workers added to much of a certain chemical into a mixture and dispensed it. Luckily the doctor caught it afterwards and he was able to dilute it through different interventions. But nevertheless, we’re talking about a medical mistake. It seems that in the realm of medicine, any small mistake can turn into something big and fatal. With that thought in mind, the doctor was pretty upset. At that moment he had every right to be angry, and even fire his employee if he wanted. Even to me that decision seemed to make sense. This individual deserved to get a piece of the doctors mind right? Well, maybe not. At this moment what this worker needed the most was an assurance that though they made a mistake, everything will be ok. They knew they screwed up, they knew that their job could be jeopardized from the situation, but what they needed even more was mercy. And that was what the doctor gave. Mercy and assurance that everything will be ok. This mercy was what made all the difference in their professional relationship
The thing is I’m pretty confident that there are many people that deserve a piece of your mind. Maybe that person that did you wrong at school, or talked behind your back, or took something that was rightfully yours. And sure, you have every right to be angry and hostile with them. But although it’s your right, is it really “right”? That’s what I believe the passage above is all about. Jesus had plenty of people he could have given the cold shoulder. He was the Messiah and they ought to respect Him. But he looked past his rights into what is “right” in his Fathers eyes. I’m not telling you that for every scenario you should quite down, and not correct a person when they’re wrong, because Christ also rebuked people when he had to. What I’m trying to tell you is that maybe, just maybe, keep your eyes open, because even in situations that you have every right to go off, God calls you to a higher standard of right.
