Equal and Opposite
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (Newton's Third Law of Motion)
Father forgive them for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34)
Stop judging that you may not be judged (Matthew 7:1)
Let the one among you without sin cast the first stone (John 8:7)
Who would have thought that the semesters of Physics that I endured in high school and college would lead to such theological contemplation, well probably God. I thank the Lord for opening up the nature of relationships with the laws of nature. In my quiet prayer time, an old wound surfaced. It was a judgement verbalized against one of my children, a shot to the heart. Our last quarter of the year at school was "Inner Healing." I am much better equipped to handle these choppy waters as they arise. Jesus does not place painful memories in our path to wound, but to heal the wound. Admittedly I did not jump right to inner healing, I made the human leap many of us so often do. I replayed the conversation in my head then searched out my "opponents" weaknesses until I had the perfect retort back. I sat and savored the possibility to be able to use this ammunition. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Words wound whether that be the intent or not. Words so often spoken to defend, justify, convince, whatever the reason, have the capability to do great harm. Once they travel from our mind to our tongue, once launched they cannot be taken back. Once they have hit their mark, the equal and opposite reactive forces begin to build, readying for counterattack. Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus placed upon the cross by the unfair judgement of men teaches us the greatest lesson in mercy against unfair judgement, anger, fear, hate, jealousy. Stop judging that you may not be judged, is the law of physical nature being applied to human nature. What we launch, we are asking to have launched back upon us. The back and forth shelling of judgement over time creates breaches in relationships. Just as in physical nature, in human nature oftentimes the only thing to stop the sequence is an outside force. That force is the indwelling spirit of Jesus given to us at baptism. Jesus is the force that can give us the strength to step back, there He can tend our wounds and prevent further damage. From His vantage point I am able to loosen my anger, I am able to ask for the grace to forgive. Words of judgement technically placed Jesus on the cross, but the reality is that it was the sum total of sin. He took all that in and on, a volley of all evil and He did what no other force in existence could do. He created a truly equal and opposite reaction: resurrection, forgiveness, and redemption.