Monday, June 17, 2024

Any writer knows: Every villain needs a backstory. Their origin story. The motivation behind their actions.

Some are driven by desires for power, wealth, or maybe just survival. Some get caught in a bad situation and can’t see a way out. Some act out of cowardice, others pride. And some think they’re seeking justice—but they’re willing to do wrong to achieve it.

Whatever the backstory may be, I think the best ones are relatable—when you can see what the villain’s been through, what they’re trying to achieve, or what wrongs they’re trying to right. Sure, maybe you wouldn’t do the same, but you can kind of understand how they got there.

Last weekend, we heard the story of Absalom, a bad boy of the Bible. As terrible as his decisions were, if you read his story in 2 Samuel 13, I believe you’ll feel compassion for the anger he was carrying.

2 Samuel 13:30-21 NIV
Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman. When King David heard all of this, he was furious.

Personally, I think we’re all born sinners, capable of great evil, but none of us are born evil. I’ll let the theologians debate that one. What I know for sure is that every bad boy has a backstory, and I think there are two important takeaways we can learn from that.

One: You never know what others are carrying or have been through. It doesn’t make their actions acceptable, but it might make them understandable. It’s a reminder to treat everyone with kindness and compassion—perhaps their “villain origin story” just needs to be interrupted by some people who can demonstrate the love of God.

Two: We are all capable of acting like villains. Okay, hopefully none of us are going to behave as badly as Absolom did. (We’ll get more into that later this week.) Still, all of us are guilty of behaving poorly and thinking it’s “justified” because of our backstory—whatever we’ve been through.

Instead of sliding down that slope, which isn’t going to end well, let’s keep our eyes on Christ and live out this week’s bottom line: Don’t let resentment take control—resolve issues with an open soul.

Questions:
Do you have a “villain backstory”? Have you ever felt like what you were dealing with justified a behavior that was less than godly?

When others behave badly, do you show them the same compassion you would hope someone would show you?

Next Steps:
Make an effort to show grace and patience to any seemingly “bad boys” you interact with this week.

If you catch yourself justifying your behavior because of what you’re dealing with, take the time to consider how Jesus would call you to act.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace. I’m so grateful that you can redeem any bad boy backstory. Help me to show that same grace to those I interact with, and help me to demonstrate a better way to live through my actions. May your will be done in me and through me. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Psalm 37:3-4
³ Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. ⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

This post was written by Payton Lechner, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.