Vengance is mine, says the Lord?

So I am currently at bible camp this weekend. We assigned all the kids to different cabins and gave them the room numbers. When they found out they we preassigned there was plenty of complaining the inssued. One of the guys was asking me over and over and over again if there was any hair of chance of switching rooms. The persistant asking reminded me of the constant asking of my four year old daughter. Hearing it from a 14 year old freshman, pushed me from zero to sixy in nothing flat. I responded to yet another question with, "No, there is no chance and if you ask again you can get back on the bus to go home." Then I tried to cover up my moment of harshness with, "I'm sorry man you just reminded me of my four year old daughter." I don't think he felt a whole lot better after that one.

I remember hearing from Rich Mullins one time, "I know vengance in mine says the Lord, but I just want to be about my Father's business." We all laugh we hear a statement like that, but it is too often true.

In Gen 34 we have a story of...just...plain...nastiness. Dinah one of Jacob's daughters is raped and then when the guy finds out he likes this woman he raped he decides he wants her a his wife. Can you imaging that ladies? Having you family make arrangements for you to marry your rapist? Well neither could Dinah's borthers, so while they promised to give her to this guy, they said all the men in the town had to be circumsized first and then 3 days later as all the men are nursing their wounds two of the bothers go in and wipe out all the men in the town. They take the women, children, and possisions for their own.

All Jacob has to say is, "this is going to make for bad public relations, why did you do this." The brothers respond, "Would you have our sister treated like a prostitute?

Just plain crazy and nasty, rape in the first place and then slaughter. I think this is the kind of damage that is caused when we follow our own instincts and desires unchecked. The sinful nature just has a hay day. If our lives we checked with the will and the love of God we wouldn't find ourselves in these situations. The rape never would have happened, the slaughter would never have happened. I never would have compared a freshman to my four year old daughter.

I pray today, I would open myself up to the wiser guidence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I want to leave vengence in the hands of God, becasue he is way smarter than me and way more loving. It would have been way better if I had extended kindness, which leads to repentance. It would have worked out better and both the student and I would feel way better about ourselves.

God save us all from ourselves!!!