Are you holding a grudge?
What if God constantly brought up every mistake you ever made? Never letting your forget it? Just always reminding you of all the wrong you’ve done? Wouldn’t that just be awful? How would we ever feel free, safe, loved or move forward?
Thank goodness, God doesn’t do that!
So many of us hold grudges and don’t even realize it. We go on through life holding on to things that have happened to us. Abuse, divorces, betrayals, hurtful words, traumatic events, painful experiences.
We hold people responsible for things that we really should have let go.
For example, in a marriage, maybe you struggle to fully love your spouse because all you do is think back to 10 years ago when they used the “D” word (divorce) or said something hurtful to you. You refuse to let it go and always bring it back up in arguments.
Maybe you struggle to truly love and forgive a parent for the divorce they put your family through. You hold onto the pain of it and it affects how you love those around you.
Maybe you were bullied in high school and the words still ring true in your head years later. It still affects your relationships and how you live your day to day life.
But, love.
The Bible goes on to give us a list of everything that love is. And then it tells us this…
1 Corinthians 13:5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Â
Love keeps no record of wrongs and God is love.
In order to ever truly love others, maybe you need to forgive a parent, a spouse, a boss, a friend, a bully, an abuser, or even yourself.
We hold grudges for so long that they start to become our identity. The past is in the past. We can either learn from it or allow it to ruin us, no matter how dark the circumstance.
It’s time to let the grudges go, stop keeping records of wrong, stop bringing up the past in arguments or allowing it to affect our actions. It’s time to love God, love ourselves and love others.
We need to let it all go. Cause if God can forgive me for my record of wrongs, I should forgive myself and others too! Ultimately, I will become more free in the process.
So, are you holding a grudge?
Response Questions
1. What experiences/words/pain do you hold onto?
2. Do you hold a grudge towards anyone in particular in your heart?
3. Are you willing to forgive or stop using it as an excuse?
Pray with me!
Father God, forgive me for holding grudges toward others and myself. Thank you for dying for me and forgiving me time and time again. I want to be free. I want to live a life of restoration and freedom. Help me to identify and release the pain and experiences I’ve gone through, let them go and not look back. I don’t want to keep a record of wrongs anymore. I love you and thank you for your grace.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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