Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing. (1 Peter 3:9)
“The teacher of our one-room country schoolhouse is mean to the children, but we signed a contract that we cannot break without inviting a nasty lawsuit. We don’t know what to do!”
A group of women met for a Bible study at an isolated rural home. When the leader, my mother, asked for prayer requests, one woman brought up the school situation, which received knowing looks and excited murmurs from the other women in the room.
The teacher in question had never lived in such a remote area before. The location depressed her. When coyotes howled at night, she felt sheer terror. By the time the kids showed up for school, she was exhausted and short-tempered.
My mom thought for a moment and then said, “I think we should pray that God would bless this teacher with a compelling job somewhere else that she cannot refuse. Then she will be the one to break the contract.”
The woman who initially brought up the request responded, “I can’t pray blessings on her; I wouldn’t mind if God struck her with lightning! You’ll have to pray for her.”
Mom did, and a few weeks later the teacher disappeared! Soon after, the school board received her official resignation with a note stating that she had accepted a job in the city. The rural women learned that when God blesses, everyone wins.
Pray a blessing over those who are unkind to you.
Laura Hurd is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church and holds a master’s degree from Wesley Seminary [IN]. She pastors with her husband, Jason, in rural Nebraska.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
