"You have heard that it was said: ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you: Do not resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also" (Matthew 5:38-39*).
This year, I attended a defensive driving course aimed at teaching students to be more sensible and careful on the road. The class covered several topics, including road rage.
— What would you do, — the instructor addressed me, — if you encountered an aggressive driver?
I thought about the many times drivers have honked at me to speed up, wanted to overtake me, or drove dangerously close to me.
— Nothing. — I replied. — I would just continue on my way.
— That's the right behavior. — said the instructor. — Do not fuel the other person's anger with your reaction. It leads to nothing good. Just continue on your path.
I considered how this has been my policy in other aspects of my life as well. Fanning the flames of someone else's anger brings nothing positive. In the book of Matthew, the Lord Jesus teaches us to turn the other cheek to those who hurt us. Following His words, I have found that a smile, a friendly gesture, a compliment, a joke, or simply not reacting can quickly defuse a heated situation.
What other creative ways of "turning the other cheek" could you discover?
Link to the original article: https://www.upperroom.org/devotionals/en-2025-02-15
* Bible quotations are from the Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013