Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”
Our Bible verse for today: “Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many.” Hebrews 12:15 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “It is a mistake to refuse to forgive and to allow bitterness to take root in your heart.”
One of the greatest mistakes people often make is to allow a lack of forgiveness to dominate their thinking and for bitterness to take root in their heart. A lack of forgiveness serves only to perpetuate a bad situation and make it worse. Bitterness becomes an acid in the gut that churns and percolates and ultimately poisons the one harboring it.
In one short sentence the writer of the letter to the Hebrews noted three problems stemming from a lack of forgiveness and the resulting bitterness which comes from it. First, it is in opposition to God’s grace. Resentment, hostility, bitterness and refusing to forgive are all the exact opposite of grace. Second, a lack of forgiveness and the resulting bitterness causes trouble. Rather than peace and harmony prevailing, there is dissension, discord, and disunity. Third, there is always collateral damage. Unresolved conflict and feelings of bitterness are almost never confined to only the parties in conflict. Almost always there are innocent bystanders and loved ones close to the situation who also get hurt by it.
It’s also true that very often the person who has offended us and towards whom we are nursing our grudge forgot the incident ten minutes after it happened and hasn’t given it two thoughts since then. While you’ve been quietly nursing the grudge and marinating in the acid of bitterness, the other person has merrily gone on their way and couldn’t care less. So they hurt you then, and they continue to hurt you now (weeks, months, or even years later). So while you’ve been stewing in resentment, that other person has long since forgotten the incident altogether!
Someone once wisely observed, “Forgiveness is setting a prisoner free and then discovering the prisoner was you.” Most of the time our lack of forgiveness and the resulting bitterness ends up hurting us much more than it does anyone else.
Likewise, “Nursing a grudge is like drinking a cup of poison and hoping the other person gets sick.” Isn’t it silly? The one we hurt the most from our lack of forgiveness and our nursing of a grudge is our self.
Of course, conflict resolution has to be a two way street. Both parties have to be willing. And like Paul explained in Romans 12:18, sometimes it’s not possible to live in peace with others because others won’t allow you to – they reject your overtures of peace and reconciliation. Towards that end you can only do so much. But still, in your own mind and in your own heart, you can release them and refuse to bear a grudge. You don’t have to do it for their sake, you do it for your sake because very often the prisoner who gets set free is you.
God Bless,
Oak Hill Baptist Church 