Did you know that when you hold grudges, you hold yourself hostage from receiving the blessings God has for you? Mark 11:25 says: “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” God wants us to be happy and joyous, not bitter and angry. Some of us are holding grudges against an absent parent for not being there when we needed them the most, a friend who has betrayed us, a spouse who has walked out on us, Or maybe even God for allowing a certain tragedy to fall upon us.
A couple of years ago, I was holding a grudge against a family member and didn’t even know it. My logic was I can forgive, but I can’t forget. I would call all of my other family and then tell them to relay the message to that particular family member instead of picking up the phone and calling myself. Until one day my pastor preached on this same exact topic. He called it “You Can’t Fool God”. I realized at that moment, that was exactly what I had been trying to do… Fool God and fool myself. I left that service with a different perspective on what it really meant to forgive.
Don’t pray for God to fix those who have offended you. Pray for God to place forgiveness in your heart, to accept them as they are. Grudges are a perfect waste of happiness! Let go, Let God!
Lord, We pray that You will remove any grudges we may have against anyone. Help us to forgive those who have offended us in any way. Let us be slow to anger and quick to forgive. In Jesus name, Amen! Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. ~Proverbs 19:11