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“GRUDGE”
Even the sound of the word is ugly. Go ahead – say it out loud – not very pleasant, is it?
Webster defines a “grudge” as having ill feelings, resentment, or anger towards someone because of some slight or wrongdoing they have committed in the past.
To “hold a grudge” means to harbor and protect these feelings on a continuous basis.
This is often related to two other horrible-sounding words: gall and wormwood. “Gall” is bile, a substance secreted by the liver and known for its bitterness, while wormwood is an aromatic plant with a bitter taste. Yuk!
You can see how holding a grudge over time can make people increasingly bitter. It can also damage our physical and mental health, contributing to anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure.
God has the antidote and we say it together every Sunday: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
How casually we recite the Lord’s Prayer – it just rolls off our tongues because we know it by heart.
You see, folks… FORGIVEN PEOPLE FORGIVE!
Frankly, it took me a few years before I finally let go and transferred the burden of holding a grudge to Jesus!
I love how Charles Allen explains this:
“The way of the world leads to hate. Wrong always brings revenge. But one day the vicious cycle was broken.
One called Jesus offered a higher way and a better life, but men stood back to mock and to laugh and crucify.
Around His head was a bright circle, and when He uttered the word “FORGIVE,” that circle of God’s love became large enough to include others.
A thief on a cross nearby stepped into that circle with Him and so entered Paradise.
The circle reaches my own feet.
To stay outside is to know hate, revenge, and destruction.
Inside is to know God’s healing love and to possess His Kingdom forever.”
Isn’t that beautiful?
The choice is yours….
Blessings,
Pastor Sue
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