Conquerors?

When his rival King Saul dies, David doesn’t celebrate—he mourns him. Saul had repeatedly tried to kill David, yet David refused to answer violence with violence (2Sam1). Jesus later lived that same refusal to retaliate.

Perhaps there’s wisdom here for all of us: retaliation rarely hurts only the people we’re angry with. Innocent people are inevitably caught in the crossfire.

In our relationships, our communities, and even our politics, what would change if we cared more about breaking the cycle than getting even?