What Grudges May I Hold

Greetings Dear Reader

Mat 22:36-40 “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in Moses' Teachings?" Jesus answered him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' All of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."

One of the facets of my journey is achieving a balance in applying the command to always forgive and the responsibility to not be indulgent of things that are wrong. In the midst of this I realized that instead of truly forgiving people I was sometimes just burying my resentment in order to feel I had forgiven them. This caused me to nurse pits of dissatisfaction within and in tense situations these would bubble up as irrational anger in odd situations.

I began to really dig into forgiveness. I had to as I was faced with a wall of wrong and hurt visited upon me without cause. I knew that God wanted me to forgive, but I wanted my way, my rights, and my view of the way things should be. None of that is following Christ. None of that is allowing God to deal with things as he wills. Even if I am right, wanting my way is not wanting Christ’s way.

If I am truly going to follow Christ I have to obey his commands. I have to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind and I have to love my neighbor as I love myself. I cannot do the first without doing the second. I cannot do the first if I hold a grudge against anyone. The only way to do this is instant forgiveness.

I must trust that Christ is working in all his followers to sculpt them into his likeness and to redeem them from their fallen natures. I must believe he has our best in heart when he allows us to endure injustices. I must remain humble and focus on purging my own sin instead of demanding my rights.

I must acknowledge that just because I am right does not mean that someone else will see it that way. When I demand that someone else conform to that I am attempting to displace Christ’s work in them. I cannot afford to not forgive anyone. It lessens my impact for Christ on everyone.

In most cases when I am reluctant to forgive it is my pride, wanting my rights, or my anger that is in the way. No matter what is done to me, I am the one who is responsible for my journey with Christ. Failing to forgive anyone for anything is failing to obey Christ’s primary commands. Refusing to forgive is failing to love them as myself. Failing to do this is failing to love the Father with all my heart, soul, and mind. This means that even one grudge is too many.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."