Is it possible that in 1 Thessalonians 5:15 we find the hardest thing God has ever asked us to do?  To not repay evil with evil but instead to seek to do good to everyone?

Each afternoon I have the pleasure (for those who are unclear; this is sarcasm) of driving south on Rt. 18 in New Brunswick.  Traffic is horrendous!  My lane, which has sat dormant for five minutes finally begins to move, the other lane stops and suddenly, some other driver pulls out of his lane in front of me and nearly hits me.  What's worse is that thanks to his little stunt, I'm stuck at a red light once again!  As I sit in my car and scream; "Man!  Are you driving with your eyes open, or are you using "The Force"?" I get the urge to catch up to the guy and give him a piece of my mind! 

But Jesus asks us to not pay back a bad deed!

Come on!  I'll preach, I'll speak in public, I've done so to crowds of thousands!  Experts say public speaking is one of the most stressful things people can be asked to do, but I'll do that, just don't ask me not to engage in payback!  I'll talk to hundreds of strangers in the hospital each day; get rejected dozens of times and take it all in stride.  Just don't ask me not to engage in payback!  God, I'll do anything you want, I'll hold the hand of a sick and dying stranger; I'll journey with a family through the depths of despair as they lose a loved one, I'll sleep on the floor of a poor inner-city church without the comforts of home so that we can get up in the morning and paint and scrape and repair the building ... but don't ask me to forego payback!

This is perhaps the hardest thing God has ever asked us to do.  It is what Jesus does when He forgives us; God gives up God's right to charge us what justice and the Law requires; our death, and instead loves us.

There's also wisdom in this.  We may think that we hold onto our anger; our need for payback; but the truth is that it hangs onto us!  It brings us down, it steals our joy and peace and leaves us diminished!

No wonder this is a growing edge for so many of us!