TV and Real Life

The whole season had been building up to this point. Patrick Jayne, The Mentalist, had finally confronted Red John, the killer of his wife and young daughter. The two stood, facing each other, in a crowded mall. As they were about to part Red John flashed a confident smirk, believing that Jayne was incapable of taking the law into his own hands and doing something violent. It seemed that evil had triumphed over good again when suddenly Jayne pulled a gun from his pocket and shot Red John dead with three bullets. Jayne then calmly sat down at a table and allowed himself to be arrested. And as the scene faded away we spectators experienced a fine sense of justice.

In the extraordinary case of Patrick Jayne and Red John, revenge seemed the only sane option. Red John was a proven ruthless serial killer who had destroyed the lives of countless people. If he were to be stopped, Jayne would have to take advantage of the one opportunity he had. Red John is dead, that's all that matters, right? It all seems so cut and dried, but....we're talking about a TV show here and not real life.

Anger, hurt, hate and revenge wreck havoc in the lives of real people, but usually as a result of offenses far, far less terrible than those suffered by Patrick Jayne at the hands of Red John. It may be interesting and entertaining to watch, week by week, a TV character channel his hate into achieving justice; it is absolutely destructive when everyday normal people let feelings of revenge drive them. At some point in all of our lives someone or something is going to so negatively impact us that it will seem everything in life has stopped and we can only focus on one thing: righting the wrong. If we give in to bitterness and resentment, they will consume our lives. People may say that forgiveness is for weaklings, but if that is true, then the God of all creation is a weakling. When it comes to real life and how we deal with revenge, it's time to turn off the TV and open the Bible. Join us this Sunday (August 7) at 10:00 am. Forgiveness is the choice to be free instead of being enslaved by hate.