Universal Pictures just came out with its latest movie, “Despicable Me,” a few months back. I wasn’t sure about the whole premise of Gru, the main character, being an evil genius but I thought I’d give it a try. I thought it was a good movie, pretty funny in some parts with an interesting plot and great characters. I won’t ruin the movie if you haven’t seen it yet but I was thinking about it the other day and realized something.
I think we’re all evil geniuses in one way or another. I mean, we’re not bent on taking over the world or destroying all of civilization with a sinister plot. But we are evil geniuses in another sense.
It’s amazing how quickly we can craft a plan to get back at someone who offended us. In almost no time at all we’ve mentally drawn up an elaborate and devious plan of action to make our offender be reduced to the lowest of their existence. Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (That’s an evil laugh, just FYI.)
Isn’t it kind of unnerving how good we can be at planning someone else’s demise? There’s some sick, twisted part of our soul that is remarkably gifted at getting back at others. Maybe you’ve been cut off in traffic and immediately begin thinking about how to cut off that same person. Maybe someone degrades how you dressed today and you spend the next 15, 30, 60 minutes dreaming up a snarky comeback that will cut them to their core. Wouldn’t that just feel so good?!
Every evil genius has a choice to make, a chance to stop their plot in mid-flight and spare the world of experiencing their worst intentions. I’ve heard that the act of being offended is the “bait of Satan” and I would agree with that. One of the most dangerous threats to someone’s witness and ministry is how quickly they give in to getting back at someone.
Stop the evil plan, hit the self-destruct button, and start using your genius planning to build someone up. Even the one that offended you.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:21