Turning the other cheek, even when the abuser continues to attack you, God asks this of us.

Today I reread the sermon on the mount with special attention to Matthew 5:38-42.  I have always raised my children to not be violent and not hit back.  My son once was at a party, I know he was a teenager and shouldn't have been but he was there.  He was punched in the face by  another kid much smaller than him.  He told me later he knew I would not be happy if he hit the other kid so he turned the other cheek and let the kid beat him up pretty bad.  His friends were all mad at him for not beating "the sh-t" out of the other kid.  I found out why his face was all beat up and he told me, he also said he wouldn't do it again, he had did it once for me and wouldn't do it again.   I kind of believe him that he thinks that is the way it is but to this day he has never beat up any one, I know that he will never do it again for me, no even he doesn't know that he does it for the Lord, he knows that it isn't right to beat some one up for any reason. 

I found a wonderful sermon that I read in connection with the sermon on the mount and the part I was looking to God for help with, turning the other cheek.  This is the sermon I read----


Pastor Gordon MacDonald has said this:

“The world can do almost anything
as well or better than the church.
You need not be a Christians to build houses,
feed the hungry, or heal the sick.
There is only one thing the world cannot do.
It cannot offer grace.”

Imagine how the world would be if just the Christians stopped fighting. Think for a minute what our neighborhoods would look like, or our churches, or our families, or our political arenas, if the followers of Christ turned the other cheek whenever possible. What if two billion Christians became convinced that Jesus’ call to love and kindness and grace, and began to live our lives that way? The world would be changed.

But it doesn’t start with 2 billion. It starts with one. When you go to Target after worship, maybe you’ll let someone have that primo parking space, even though you got there first. When your neighbor’s dog does a number on your lawn, you don’t pick it up and put it on his doorstep; you just pick it up. When your employer tells you that you are no longer needed at the company, you swallow hard and say “Thank you for the privilege of working here.” And when your Joey is punched by their Billy, you don’t call your lawyer. You call Billy’s dad and say “Let’s take the boys to a Twins game so we can have them become friends, not enemies.”

If we belong to the God of Grace, we must become people of grace. There’s no other way. And someday, somewhere, someone will be explaining how it is that the neighborhood lives at peace, and they will point to you and say “He started it.” Be a people of grace today! Thanks be to God. Amen.

I have thought and thought about these words.  I know that with all the problems that have occurred this week I am called to keep turning the other cheek though the person daily attacks Mokie or me.  I can only give it to the Lord and know that he will be the answer to our prays when dealing with our neighbor. I to my surprise am not anger at her, I am sadden by her and find that she needs to be pitied.  Only God has the grace to change the tide at this point, I have turned the other cheek and at ever turn there is a new attack.   Now all I have left to do is pray that God speaks to her heart and asks her to desist her relentless attacks.  If it be God's will, it will stop, we have walked away only to be hit again and again........ tomorrow.