grudges

What About the Wicked?

Read a great blog entry by “Stushie” about “payback” in the form of a quick devotion inspired by a life experience. The intro to his article has a good reminder for many of us who feel wronged or crossed by our neighbor:

Sometimes we are too zealous in our outrage at the world that we want to payback evil with evil. Payback belongs to the Lord; we are meant to love our enemies and forgive those who hurt us.

Amen to that. Of course, I will be one to admit it is more easily said than done. Often times I carry grudges in an effort to “avoid” getting harmed again – but that goes contrary to the whole concept of forgiveness. Forgiveness lets go. And generalizing other people in the future goes contrary to treating our neighbors with love… imagine, receiving others with hostility or suspicion just because of a bad past experience… the cynicism of it all ruins all our future relationships and closes our hearts.

Each day I have prayed through one devotion or another for freedom from the grudges I have carried over the years. I find that the more I reflect on my release from their chains, the more my burden seems lightened. It seems that reliving past wrongdoings is different when you put it in the light of prayer vs. plotting or seeking revenge and payback. There are times that I even look back on the related experiences and noticeably felt that I really didn’t care about them anymore… my feelings were at best neutral and waning on forgetfulness (thank God for that!)

On a closing thought (also from Stushie’s post):

… Help us to do whatever we can do to make this world a better place through the strength of your Love…

I like Stushie’s thoughts on the topic. What is to become of the wicked people who harm us in this world? It’s not up to us. So stop brooding and get on with living and enjoying life!

I’m sure a search for “4 minute devotions” (a similar theme to “10 minutes for God”) may yield more of his posts on various topics related to prayer, life and reflection. Enjoy!

The Unmerciful Servant

Today, while chatting with my wife and after an extended rant about my rough career experiences, she remarked: Why do you keep bringing up what happened in the past? It’s like you can’t let go of what happened to you, no matter how negative it was… and THAT is what may be keeping you from moving ahead with what God has planned for you now.

Very wise indeed. All I wanted to do was vent, but perhaps this was one of my more well-used soap-box speeches. In the past, indiscretions at the hands of past managers have made it difficult for me to do my work and in one case, it unjustly had cost me my job. For some reason, my anger and desire for justice (or revenge) would lead me back to retell and relive the experiences that had cost me so dearly.

My excuse: I simply wanted to remind myself of my past mistakes (in letting my guard down) and I didn’t want to let myself become a victim again.

My wife later added: Leave it up to God. If they have harmed you, they will have their day where they will have to answer for their actions. It isn’t up to you to handle that.

What she didn’t add was the most important lesson that Jesus Christ wishes to deliver to people everywhere: forgive.

Here I am, praying fervently each day for blessings, forgiveness and guidance from God and yet I still have a grudge in my heart against my neighbor. I tell myself time and again that they are forgiven, but that is easier said than done. If that was the case, there would be no need to bring up their name or their “crimes” in conversation or thought for any reason. Forgiven means also forgotten.

In Jesus’s parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35), a servant begs of his master for mercy and forgiveness of an enormous debt he had owed to him. The master magnanimously forgives the debt only to witness later that same servant unmercifully punish and harass his neighbor for a debt owed to him. The master was enraged and he had his unmerciful servant thrown into prison and punished for his outstanding debt. In Matthew’s gospel, we see that we cannot expect to experience the blessing of God’s grace and forgiveness until we also forgive the ways our neighbors have sinned against us. 

“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)

I pray today for the presence of mind and the strength to show mercy towards my neighbors and fellow humans. For whatever ways I have been harmed, I must release myself from holding a grudge and likewise from the desire for revenge or blind justice. Such incidents are totally in the hands of the Father, from whom Jesus Christ delivers a message of peace and forgiveness in response.