Justified

From my upbringing in the Christian faith I remember a frequently espoused layman's definition of the word "justified."  Here it is:  Justified means "it's just as if I'd never done..."  The proponents of that definition used it to describe the concept of grace, the fact that God would be willing to overlook our transgressions if we were appropriately remorseful.  It was sort of like getting a (mostly undeserved) free pass.

We often claim to be "justified" in our daily interactions, faith not withstanding.  We frequently us the word "justified" to defend our behaviors/thinking along these lines:  revenge, recrimination, hurtful language, retribution, reprisals, and retaliation.  We like to "cleanse" these nefarious acts and ways of thinking by claiming we have some justification for engaging therein.

Are we really justified for such?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I'm not sure.  

BUT (there's always a "but"), does our engaging in those acts make us or the situation or the future any better?  Almost never.  

We get to choose.