We’ve probably all been in that place where we’ve let the past dictate our future. When someone hurts us we can hold a grudge. And when grudges build up, we carry all that hurt, pain, anger and bitterness around with us. That’s a pretty heavy load. A load that stops us from moving forward into all that God has in store for us. And a load that can damage other relationships. When we’ve been hurt, we may expect it to happen again. When we’ve been let down, we may find it hard to trust someone else. And when we’re tied down with bitterness and resentment, we may find it hard to experience the joy of cultivating relationships with others. God doesn’t want us to be holding on to grudges. The Bible says: ‘Don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry’ (Ephesians 4:26 MSG). Every year, lots of people decide to do a spring clean of their house. They get rid of things they no longer need; they tidy up all the mess and clean the parts that have collected dust. We need to do the same thing in our lives. We need to keep our mental, emotional, and spiritual house clean and in order. God wants us to let Him into those places in our lives where we’re hurting and where we’ve allowed dust to collect. He wants to replace those dark, hurting places with His love, comfort and joy. The Bible says, ‘Be gentle, kind…meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love… ties everything completely together’ (Colossians 3:12-14 CEV). Let’s clean out the grudges, anger and bitterness and replace them with love, forgiveness and gentleness.
What now?
Tidy a room of your house. As you’re sorting and cleaning, pray that God would help you do the same with your mental, emotional and spiritual house.