“But I tell you. Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

A healthier person than I might not ever struggle with a verse like this, but for years this verse represented the crux of my understanding of Christianity. I looked forward to the day when I might actually be tested with the literal circumstance described here, so I might respond in this radical Christian way. But now I find myself seeking a deeper understanding. Because I know that people will continue to “strike me on the cheek”in one form or another for the rest of my life, how can I put this teaching into practice? I know that when Christ summarized the scriptures, He said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul” and “Love others as you love yourself.” I have found that to respond in a loving, Christ filled manner, that I won’t allow them to continue, canbe an appropriate loving response, in that while it avoids returning evil for evil, it also avoids the inevitable accompanying ongoing covert resentment from two (or four or eight) unresisted cheek-slappings.

DEAR GOD, HELP ME TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF. HELP ME TO FOLLOW YOUR WILL; HELP ME BE A HEALTHY PERSON. AMEN.

– Shared by Scott Dickson