The pit, the stone, Haman’s gallows – all three vividly portray the most painful irony. They portray the folly of seeking to avenge personal grievances. Think of the sweat and labor expended on digging the pit. Think of the anticipation of joy upon seeing your enemy fall into the pit. And then think of the shame and frustration when it is not your enemy, but you, who end up muddy and bruised at the bottom of the ditch. The sad truth is that some keep digging more ditches no matter how many times they end up in the ditch. We all will endure personal grievances, pain inflicted unfairly by another. And every time, we will either respond in faith or in folly. Whether our personality leads to quiet smoldering or loud retort, the temptation will always be to return evil for evil. But faith offers a better way. Faith trusts God. By faith, we understand that things don’t just happen, but that even the painful events that seem to not be made right are being used by God to teach us to be like Him. As we place our lives, our reputations, and even our slights in His keeping, we learn forgiveness, compassion, forbearance, and mercy. And in modeling these, we resemble Christ. In resembling Christ, we not only avoid the pit, but we also discover that the slights of others don’t hurt nearly as much as they once did. Instead of wasting time focused on vain imagination of wrongs being made right, we redeem the time with clarity of mind.