React in a Righteous Way

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 NIV

In a story titled “Runner Gets Hit by a Car During Post-Marathon Jog. Why She Regrets What She Did Next,” published last week, the writer said “What Kyia Mochitani thought was going to be a successful post-marathon run turned out to be anything but ordinary.” Kyia went on to explain what happened while crossing a street along her route when a driver turning right on red didn’t see her, “There was a car in the lane next to her that was kind of farther out, so she couldn’t really see if anyone was in the crosswalk. Right as she pulled out, I was running right by and my hand hit her car first. And she still didn’t see me. Then she hit me and slammed on her brakes.” The car struck her right hip. In shock, she did what almost no one would expect — she gave the driver a thumbs up and ran off. “My initial reaction was to run away. That was the first thing [going] through my mind,” she said. “I just was like, she literally just hit me. Okay, run, run, run, go, go, go.” 

And, you know, while Kyia’s initial reaction of giving a “thumbs up” and moving on (thereby forgiving the driver since she didn’t hurt her on purpose and Kyia suffered no serious injuries) was the right one, the comments she received on social media had her questioning why she hadn’t reacted differently by reporting the driver or by demanding some type of restitution. Which is the very reason we, as believers, must always follow the example of the Father, and be “kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave” us. You see, we are to always react as God calls us to, not as the world expects us to…. because we aren’t like this world. We must forgive and move on, showing ourselves to be set apart. 

So, when (not if) someone wrongs you, don’t react in the way the world expects you to my friend. Be quick to forgive others as Jesus forgave you so that you’ll have no regrets about missing an opportunity to lead someone to Christ by the way you reacted. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we will all encounter times of testing in this life. When we have been wronged by another, help us to respond in a way that is contrary to the world that we might show ourselves set apart and lead the lost to You by doing so. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!