By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
“Bitterness is like drinking poison, expecting someone else to die from it.”
Wow, is that ever true!
Bitterness results from unforgiveness and slowly destroys relationships. It’s something we must continually guard ourselves against because, let’s face it, we live in a fallen world – people are going to hurt us.
We all experience times in life when we struggle to forgive those who have hurt us. Forgiveness is a choice – and a process. It involves letting go of the wrong done to us, rejecting the right to get even, and placing judgment into the hands of a righteous Judge. We have a Judge who arbitrates fairly, so we can trust Him to do what is best.
“Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25c)
Even as Jesus was being led like a lamb to the slaughter, he provided a great example of what it looks like to place judgment into God’s hands.
“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23)
Sometimes God asks us to take a stand, and sometimes He asks us to be silent. This Scripture is not suggesting we become doormats for others to trample, but it does remind us to seek the Lord’s guidance to determine how to handle each situation.
Forgiveness takes time; it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not a one time declaration either – sometimes we must forgive many times over. If we don’t continue to forgive, bitterness will creep in and spread across our heart.
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’
Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” (Matthew 18:21-22)
We may think we are punishing the other person by holding a grudge, but in reality, we are only hurting ourselves. Pent-up bitterness eats away at us like cancer, making us and everyone around us miserable. It also becomes a barrier to our own forgiveness. More than likely, the person we’re holding a grudge against has no idea how we truly feel.
Being unwilling to forgive means that we hold everyone around us to a standard of perfection – something we ourselves will never achieve. ~Gary L. Thomas
“If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:10)
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
Now that’s convicting!
