Fight By Being Faithful

What is your natural reaction to being wronged? Is it to lash out? Smile and plot revenge? Fight to get away? Hide and weep? At the core of each reaction is a deep wound. A recognition that pain between people shouldn’t exist. If left untreated, this wound can turn into deep bitterness.

God never intended for us to use and abuse each other. This is why Cain’s sin is so great. When he saw that his brother was being favored over him, Cain’s solution was to end the life of Abel. He believed God didn’t have enough love or favor for him, as well. God’s warning before this fatal choice was, “If you do well, won’t you be accepted?”. Cain made the same mistake as his parents – he fell for the lie of the Snake: Be like God your own way.

After Cain, generations up to Noah embraced the same lie: kill or be killed, devour or be devoured. That mindset still tempts us today. While Cain’s vengeance was sevenfold, his descendant Lamech declared, “If Cain’s is seven, mine is seventy-seven.” We don’t just seek revenge—we aim to hurt more than we were hurt. It plays out in relationships, war, business—everywhere. The damage to humanity was beyond repair… but not beyond redemption.

Though Noah surely felt the sting of betrayal and the fire of anger searing through his chest when faced with the darkest corners of broken humanity, he chose a path that defied human instinct—a path that honored the Lord. The weight of mockery must have pressed on him like a millstone, and perhaps the desire for revenge simmered beneath his skin like hot coals. We don’t fully know what he could have lost, but through his life, we know what Noah believed: vengeance was not his to wield.

Even as venomous jeers echoed in his ears and threats flew like arrows from the mouths of the wicked, he did not lash out. Instead, he answered with faithfulness.

His weapon was the axe that struck deep into the heart of gopher trees. His shield was the tar that sealed the ark’s seams against the coming storm. His battle cry was the warning he cried out to a deaf and sneering world. Blow after blow, he built—not to destroy, but to save. Every thunderous swing of his hammer was a defiance of despair, a declaration of trust in the God who had called him. He waged his war not in blood, but in wood and sweat and determination.

When we are threatened, whether it’s because of differing political opinions, prejudices, offenses, or actual danger - how often are we tempted to play by the enemy’s rules? Kill or be killed. Devour or be devoured. When we forsake the truth – that we all bear God’s image and are worthy of love and dignity – we are like animals. We are like Cain. We are agreeing with the Snake. Choosing to surrender, love, trust, and obey the Lord can, and will, require everything. But it is always best because He can always be trusted with our pain and doubt.

Dare to shine in this dark world by fighting back with faithfulness to God. Steward and build what you are called to. Faithfulness doesn’t always mean physical labor. It can be a family dinner, a joke, a song, a garden, a hug, an appreciated sunrise – anything that dares to defy the lie of the enemy.

Ultimately: Love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Dare to love your neighbor as yourself. Even if – especially if – they don’t love you.