There are times when we have to endure the treatment of others who are unkind to us, but if we are striving to be true Christians, we are not to retaliate with the same treatment. Especially when it was not physical treatment. We acknowledge that sometimes words cut deeper than blows.

Growing up in my small town I used to hear this phrase used a lot. I learned later on that it was meant to treat the other person with kindness. Most times the phrase came from females who were sharing their man with another woman.

They were not doing it willingly. The wife was defenseless and this was meant to hide the hurt that was forced upon her. Often times, those who never experienced this type of hurt will say, “Why don’t they just leave?”Mothers have more to loose. Children will suffer. In a few cases women have left all. Those same women who critized will then blame her for doing so.

There are several scriptures that are to be used as examples of what Jesus taught us to do. If your enemy is hungry, give her/him food to eat; if he/she is thirsty, give them water to drink. In doing this, you will be heaping burning coals on her/his head, and the LORD will reward you.

If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. A cloak, a long, heavy robe-like coat was an Old Testament symbol of authority. For a prophet in Israel, it was a symbol of the power of God resting on him. When Elijah first met Elisha, he threw his cloak around him.

Jesus, in what we call the Sermon on the Mount, told the gathered crowd, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. ‘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 5:38-39).