Whatever battle is raging within us: we always have a choice. These wise words conclude the theme of the third installment in the Spider-Man movie series. It deals with Peter Parker’s internal turmoil between craving revenge and his natural desire to do good and protect others.

The lure of personal satisfaction through vigilante justice is strong, and Parker finds physical strength in the “dark side” of his powers. But in the end he realizes that no matter how strong the temptation toward vengeance, there is no lasting satisfaction in those actions. There is always a choice, instead, for good.

The movie got me thinking about those times in my own life when I’ve been tempted to seek revenge for some wrong done to me or someone I love. Trying to balance the scales of human justice may have seemed logical, even if it only involved giving the offender a piece of my mind. But did I ever really feel better in the end? No. The resentment and anger were still there.

As I’ve studied the life of Christ Jesus over the years, it has become clear to me that revenge is never the answer. Jesus certainly could have justified retaliation on a number of occasions, but he didn’t go down that road. Not once. In fact, he said we must forgive every offense—even 490 times from the same person! Jesus exemplified this in his great love for others and in his devotion to a healing ministry which taught that the kingdom of heaven is within everyone’s reach at every moment.

The WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) model is always a good one, but maybe not so easy to follow when we’re faced with injustice. The internal battle between reacting with love, as that model teaches, and reacting with rage or bitterness can be a fierce one. But I’ve found that when I stand on the side of forgiveness, peaceful problem solving, and brotherly love, I find emotional resolution much more quickly.

Mary Baker Eddy, whose writings, along with the Bible, are central to this Web site, once wrote: “Self-ignorance, self-will, self-righteousness, lust, covetousness, envy, revenge, are foes to grace, peace, and progress; they must be met manfully and overcome, or they will uproot all happiness. Be of good cheer; the warfare with one’s self is grand; it gives one plenty of employment, and the divine Principle [God] worketh with you,—and obedience crowns persistent effort with everlasting victory” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 118).

I’m always inspired by the fact that divine Love, God, is always with me and directs me toward actions that will bless my fellow humans—even when they may not have blessed me. Vengeful thoughts have no place in the Christ-based life, and even in the most complex cases, trusting divine guidance will always lead to a peaceful resolution, if we are persistent in prayer.

It’s not a fear of hellfire or divine retribution in the afterlife that motivates me to desire a Christ-based life. Nor is it a belief that my actions will come back to haunt me during this life or beyond because fate or destiny necessitates it. I have just learned through hard experience that hating someone does nothing to harm them and very much to harm me because it darkens my consciousness of God’s loving presence in my life. It is a spiritual fact that hatred and love are mutually exclusive, and I don’t want to exclude love from my life.

Vengeful thinking would take my spiritual journey off course. This journey is one that God supports and takes with me each day. Since God is Love, I can trust that He is with everyone else, too, helping them grow in the understanding that they are His children, fully spiritual in nature. As each of us chooses a life filled with goodness, that commitment to good uplifts the whole human race, and points it toward divine justice—which is never mistaken or misdirected—and a healing outcome.

Whatever mental battle you’re embroiled in or difficult choices you face, God is always speaking to you on the side of goodness and love. Each and every day you can choose to fight on God’s side, the side of good—where victory is inevitable.

Choosing good:

Science and Health
30:30

King James Bible 
Matt. 18:21, 22 
Deut. 30:15, 16, 19, 20