The Ugly Thrill of Being Right
It’s easy to smile when someone you disagree with steps on a rake.
You see it happen in real time. Maybe it’s an online debate, an old coworker who doubted you, or just someone whose choices rub you the wrong way. They stumble. The consequences hit them square in the jaw. And for a split second, that bitter little spark fires in your chest.
Told you so.
We call it vindication. Scripture calls it something else entirely.
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:6
The Trap of Cheap Vindication
The world feeds on wreckage. Feeds and tabloids trade in humiliation, and we train our brains to feast on the downfall of our rivals. It feels like justice, but it’s counterfeit.
Rejoicing when wrong wins—even when that wrong destroys someone who crossed you—rots you from the inside out. It turns your heart into a courtroom where you’re always the hanging judge.
Real strength doesn’t smirk at a trainwreck. Anyone can kick an adversary when they’re flat on their back. It takes discipline to look at brokenness, refuse the cheap hit, and stand for what actually heals.
Besides, holding onto that stuff is exhausting. It’s like asking: why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired. Don’t exhaust yourself carrying someone else’s wreck.
Truth Doesn’t Need a Body Count
Here’s the rub: you can love truth without cheering for catastrophe.
Truth isn’t a blunt instrument designed to crack skulls. It’s light. It exposes the dirt, sure, but the goal isn’t shame—it’s restoration.
When Christy and I walk Zippy out on the pavement, that little dog doesn’t care about past grievances, winning arguments, or keeping score. He just focuses on the road ahead. We spend so much energy storing up evidence against people that we miss the simple freedom of walking in truth.
Truth wins when integrity is restored. Truth wins when a lie is abandoned and peace takes its place. If your brand of “truth” requires someone else’s misery to feel complete, it’s not truth you’re serving. It’s your ego.
The Line in the Sand
Drop the petty scoreboard.
Catch yourself the next time someone’s failure gives you a buzz of satisfaction. Kill it on the spot. Pray for them, check your own blind spots, and stand firmly on solid ground.
Speak truth, but do it in love. Anything less is just noise.