Let Go of It

Matthew 18: 21-22
Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

I don't think there is anything more harmful to the vitality and quality of a relationship than a grudge. If you are harboring one, let go of it...now!

Life together is dramatically influenced by our capacity to see things from different angles. This is a good thing, because one person can't possibly see all that there is to be seen about a situation. After all... nobody that I know is all-seeing, or all-knowing. Much of the time we benefit from the exchange of ideas, even contrasting views... together we come closer to a glimpse of the truth, right?

However, the road of human relationship is not straight and smooth. Offenses or misunderstandings cause ripples and rifts that disrupt the smooth flow of love. They can bring people to a halt, standing toe to toe (or back to back) as an issue gains power and magnitude. Eventually joy, peace and harmony may be eclipsed.

Discord can enter through specific words and deeds; or it can slither into a relationship via a perception (or a misperception). It gains power when the people involved fixated upon the source of contention...and over time it will grow exponentially, fanned by the winds of a choice (literally) to hold on to the grudge. Sadly, it is not unusual for people to remember and even perpetuate the wall of separation or opposition long after the actual details of the initial problem have receded into time and space.

This happens in families, in communities, in nations....and, sadly, it happens in the church. We need to be on the alert for the genesis of separation or misunderstanding. What is initially nothing other than a "difference of opinion" may flourish in the womb of awkwardness and develop a life all its own. What starts out as a simple agreement to go separate ways may result in a rift of huge proportion.

Each week the community of faith is gathered again into one. Each week we are encouraged to "be" with one another in the spirit of Christ's Love. We are to trust the depth of oneness that is rooted in the heart, even when our minds are not completely "alike".

As soon as you notice that you are beginning to step away from somebody with whom you have a difference, lean into Christ...allow the miraculous gift of His love to guide you through conversations and activities in an attitude of forgiveness...not 7...but 77 times...777 times....77777 times.....

Got a grudge? Let Go of It!