“But, that’s not fair! She did _______” (You can fill in the blank). The beginning we all know, regardless of our age, continues with a series of actions, only ending with the first speaker seeks or gets even.
As we get older, the only thing that changes in is the words and the length of time that can pass until justice. In many instances, the cycle of action, justice, and responsive justice repeats for years, decades, and generations.
Justice is often an incomplete subject. People are rarely accountable for their words or failing to honor a commitment. We seem to tolerate and often applaud selfish acts. Where is the justice for the people without power, those who cannot stand on their own, and the victims of aggressive behavior?
What is the meaning of justice is this instance? Can anyone ever take away the sting of a false accusation or a cruel verbal jab? What is the remedy for public humiliation based on a misunderstanding? When the senior gives rewards to another for cheating, cutting corners, and taking credit for somebody else’s work, what is the solution? Will the solution make every feeling disappear? What happens to the relationship of the key players involved?
My memory is long. Maybe not today, but sometime I will exact a price for yesterday’s pain. My purpose, and at times mission, is merely to make sure the protagonist pays for the cruelty inflicted.
God’s memory is perfect, well almost. God’s statement is that I “don’t insist getting even; that’s not for you to do. ‘I’ll do the judging,’ says God. ‘I’ll take care of it.” (Romans 12.19) God remembers everything until I express my faith in who He is and what Jesus did at Calvary. When I do this, and as often as I take this step, God’s memory is filled with Jesus’ perfect life and sacrifice, nothing more or less.
God’s gift is an example I can follow. With Him, I can see and treat others just as He deals with me, His special child for whom His son died.
