“But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”
(Matthew 5:39)
Romantic relationships are hard. When you’re in close proximity to another human being for too long, especially in the case of a significant other, you are bound to come into conflict with one another at times. And when our partner is being unreasonable or rude to us, our natural reaction is to lash out, or return the favor. We want to stand up for ourselves, and assault them verbally with the truth as we see it. So Jesus’ teaching to “turn to them the other cheek” is the opposite of what we often want to do. But we know from our experience that when we do fight back, in anger or self-righteousness, it only makes matters worse, and the situation only escalates. We don’t get what we want. They don’t submit to our view, they instead dig their heels in, deciding this is the hill they want to die on, and nothing you can do will budge them. There must be a better way.
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
(Exodus 14:14)
We know that fighting for ourselves only makes matters worse, but if we trust in the Lord, he will fight for us. If we only stop relying on our own power and ability to defend and fight for ourselves, but instead let go and remain calm in faith, we will find that these situations in our lives will go dramatically different. We will find that we can turn the other cheek, and not react with anger or pride, because our faith is in the Lord that he works in all situations we find ourselves in, to bring about something good.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
(Romans 8:28)
We see this in the story of Joseph, who suffered terribly at the hands of his brothers, who even sold him into slavery in Egypt. However, at the same time, God was using these events for Joseph’s good. So later on, when he looked back over everything that had happened, he could see how all these events had worked together to bring him to his present situation, where great things happened.
“I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you. For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
(Genesis 45:4-8)
Maybe we can see this in our own lives, where things haven’t gone our way, and we were hurt or disappointed at the time, but then later on we were relieved that things happened as they did, or something else really good would not have come about. So we can take heart, hang up our sword, and trust in the Lord to fight our battles. He’s been a father a long time, and he knows what he’s doing. Hand it over to him, and he will prove his faithfulness and he will not let you down.
What is Truth? 