Over the years, I have written a great deal about how amazing my family and friends are. I've told stories of phone calls that lifted me, road trips that were too fun for words, and time spent that was indescribably priceless. Sometimes I read my own writing and I am utterly fascinated by the people who are found within my words. They are all extraordinary. They've all made invaluable contributions to my life. However, they have all also had moments where their words robbed me of my smile. Some have been left standing holding the knife that stabbed me in my back. Then too are the ones who have disappointed me in ways that are down right horrible. Many would say that I would be justified to hold a grudge if I told those stories. But, I made a choice about each one of these people and that choice was to love.
Choosing to love and let go of grudges has been a process for me. There have been times where I was so angry that I've wanted nothing more to do with a person. I even recall saying things like "I will NEVER speak to her again". Like many of you, I said those words without giving thought to all of the special times that I shared with the person. I said I would never speak to her without thinking how much had to broken before the person hurt me.
You see we all like to think of our experiences in a way that places the focus squarely on what has been done to us. We don't think about what happened within the person to cause them to act in a hateful way in the first place. Instead, we nurse our wounds and give permanent residence to grudges that grow and fester.
Well, I choose everyday to let go of the reminder of the hurt and evict the grudge that threatens the love I have in my heart. I choose to focus on the time my best friend and I spent half the night talking instead of building a monument to the time he forgot to call. I make these choices deliberately because I know that holding on to a grudge will cause me to miss out on God. Besides, the love that we share is bigger than the hurt, bigger than the grudge, bigger than everything that there is...except God. ;-)
So watch yourselves.
"If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them."
Luke 17:3
Adayinthelife :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment