"Wronged"

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 1st Corinthians 6:7

I was driving home last night and heard a commercial on the radio. It was a commercial for one of those law firms that chases ambulances and, as the speaker says, helps people who have been “wronged”. The speaker goes on to say, “Have you been wronged? Have you been in an accident with a truck? Have you slipped and fallen? Let us help you get what you deserve”. I don’t like these commercials and, although I respect good lawyers, I have zero respect for these types of lawyers.

I think we have a misconception of being “wronged” in our world today. Fake slipping on a wet floor in the grocery store is not being “wronged” and I don’t believe people who drive big trucks are roaming the highways looking for innocent people to run over. We have made it too easy in our society to gain financially from a minor slip on a wet floor, a bump on the head, or a fender bender. We have also convinced ourselves as people that we deserve financial restitution for the slightest inconvenience. We have allowed our society to view a humorous tumble or a careless driving mistake as a pay day instead of an unfortunate moment in our lives. And, as a Christian, I know that we do not want what we really deserve.

In 1st Corinthians 6, Paul is talking to the Christians in Corinth and instructing them on how to handle earthly issues as a believer. Paul knows that if two Christians have a disagreement, they should be able to settle it among themselves or with the help of Christian leaders. If they cannot, and continue with a petty argument, they are being no different than the non-believers who argue in the courts of law. Paul expects the Christians to show constraint, patience, and love in every area of their lives, even when they have been cheated. That is difficult to do when we have been cheated but how can the world see us as different if we act like the world? I also wonder what Paul would say if he heard the speaker on the commercial say, “Get what you deserve”. He would probably tell us all that we deserve the death that Jesus endured on the cross. We deserve to never be allowed to speak the name of Jesus. And we deserve eternity far away from our Heavenly Father.

I prayed today and asked God to show me how to handle all situations in my life as He would want. How to be wronged by someone and treat them with love. How to have a disagreement with someone and treat them with respect. And, if I slip and fall, how to laugh it off, patch my wounds, and move on without collecting a check!

Chad