I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I knew there were some pretty intense judgements and feelings swirling about kicking up all sorts of dust around me, but God had not yet moved away the thick dry-haze enough to see it clearly.

But then it happened.

In one sentence as she said, “Karma’s a bi$$$,” everything became crystal clear.

They’ve all been gloating!

\ ˈglōt  \

gloated; gloating; gloats

Definition of gloat

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1: to observe or think about something with triumphant and often malicious satisfaction, gratification, or delight gloat over an enemy’s misfortune

Merriam Webster Dictionary

I guess I should have been prepared for this. It’s not the first time. And I now understand – because of my love of God and Church – it will most probably not be the last.

Ask many Christian’s and they will tell you: As you decide to commit your life to trying to live out God’s Word vs Man’s, to the best of your ability & train up your family to do the same, you have automatically signed on the dotted acceptance line that gloating may be a “side-effect” any time a trial presents itself in your life – from those with a different mindset. This sort of person celebrates when – despite your efforts to walk in His ways – pain, difficulty and sometimes tragedy will still find you. They relish the opportunity to gloat over the situation you find yourself in.

They feel better about themselves knowing you are facing difficulty.

There are many characteristics of gloating:

1. Pleased about an event undesirable for another.
2. Pleased about another’s mishap.
3. Celebrating another’s mistakes.
4. A belief that the mishap has been earned.

Also important to note – envy and gloating have parallel structures. Envy is when you feel bad because someone you dislike did well, and gloating is when you feel good because they did badly.

It may be difficult at first, but you can eventually tell when someone is gloating by the different behaviors and emotions they express.

They laugh when people are “knocked down a peg” and are “put in their place” and perhaps made to look a bit silly. The emotion is stronger the less they care about the person, the more they hold them responsible for the misdeed, and the more the event was unexpected.

Gloating is especially sweet if they envied the person or sought revenge on them.

Not to mention all this makes for especially good gossip for them, too!

They may feel pity and compassion when an unfortunate person is hurt. But they gloat when someone is hurt as a result of their own actions.

The assessment of the responsibility for the problem is the key distinction.

If they believe the person could have prevented the problem, they hold the person responsible for their own pain; then gloat and hope they learned their lesson.

Gloating is about mistakes, compassion is about misfortune.

They gloat when the pain suffered seems proportional to their dislike of the person; in that case they are simply getting what they deserve.

The degree of dislike also influences the intensity of gloating. The more they dislike the person, the more intensely they gloat at the mishap. This is reciprocity in action.

So how do you deal with people gloating over your misfortune?

(For myself) I know that, psychologically speaking, people who enjoy the suffering of others only do so to temporarily relieve the agony that is consuming them. I also know some wounds only God can heal. However; most importantly, I know it is extremely important – in an effort to maintain my own peace, both in mind & spirit, – NOT to hate these people; but rather, to pray for them.

He who mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 17:5

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and be displeased.

Proverbs 24:17-18

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Proverbs 10:12

My heart continues to be very sad for the woman rejoicing in her Karma proclamations and I continue to pray for her because ironically, even the great Reiki teachers in their Law of Karma state the following:

When is it ok to wish ill on someone?

Well, the short answer is: never.

And the long answer is: Really, NEVER.

It’s never ok to wish harm on anyone else. If you do, you’re actually inviting that bad energy back into your life tenfold. Karma doesn’t discriminate in that regard – what you reap, you will (eventually) sow. Always.

Martina E. Faulkner, LMSW

Which sounds very similar to the Law of My Lord…

And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.

Luke 6:31

So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

Matthew 7:12

Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing.

1 Peter 3:9

hugs n’ blessings for all those living by the Law.

But you should not have gloated over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; you should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; you should not have boasted in the day of distress.

You should not have entered the gate of my people in the day of his calamity; you should not have gloated over his disaster in the day of his calamity; you should not have looted his goods in the day of his calamity. You should not have stood at the parting of the ways to cut off his fugitives; you should not have delivered up his survivors in the day of distress.

For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you, your deeds shall return on your own head.

Obadiah 1:12-15