Ending the Downward Spiral of Revenge

In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus tells us to put away the "eye for eye" mentality, and instead go the extra mile for those who would harm us or take advantage of us. Wow. This is a hard teaching! Are we doormats? Can we not defend ourselves or get justice? Or are we to acknowledge where our true security and provision lies, then with intentionality work to bring grace, forgiveness, and kindness into a world full of pain and hate? May we take Jesus' command in faith and see the genius of his revenge ending ethic.