"I'll Show Them."

It happens all the time. We have a falling out with someone and leave with the attitude, “Well, I’ll show them.” Someone doesn’t show us kindness or respect, so we decide that we’re not going to show them any either. We give them the cold shoulder like we’re trying to teach them a lesson, as if it’s our job to teach them a lesson.

I’ve tried this approach many times, and, unsurprisingly, I’m never satisfied with the results. It's an "eye for an eye" mentality that is so detrimental to not only ourselves, but those around us as well. "Oh? You're going to be like that? Well I’ll show you." And you know what? It never leaves me empowered or with any sense of entitlement. It leaves me feeling empty inside.

I’ve come to realize that when my Judgement Day rolls around, all excuses go out the window, and the brutal truth will come out. I will not be able to say, “Well, God, they did this and this and this to me,” because in that moment God will not care what anyone else did. God will look me straight in the eye and say,

“But what did you do to fix it?”

Uhhhh...the brutal truth? I did nothing...

..until now.

So I’ve decided to add on to “I’ll show them.”

I will show them. But I will show them kindness. I will show them love. I will show them respect.

I’ll teach them a lesson, but it will be a different kind of lesson. It will be a lesson that will help the both of us get to Heaven.