May 15, 2018

Let It Go

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

– Hebrews 12:15

Bitterness makes an awful companion. It will cloud your thinking, harden your heart, give the devil a foothold into a life dedicated to God.

The dictionary defines bitterness as anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly. It is also resentment. It is a small kernel that, if not dealt with, will grow into an all-consuming thing that directs the paths of our lives to a place we never intended to go.

In the Christian faith, we talk a lot about forgiveness. We forgive not because the other person deserves it but because God forgives us. We forgive because of what Jesus did for us, dying a cruel, merciless death, so that we would be washed white by His blood.

We don’t deserve mercy. None of us deserve forgiveness. But it’s what God gives us anyway when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. That kind of puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? When we complain about the sins of others, about the unfairness of it all, we are condemning ourselves.

I can do all things through Christ. That’s what the Bible tells me. But I am prone to give it to God, then take it back again and again. How about you? Every time we replay the offense over in our minds, we are filling our hearts with anger and bitterness yet again.

Don’t sin in your anger. That’s another jewel from the Bible. Anger causes us to be people of hate rather than people who reflect God’s love to the world. We can’t get past old wounds because we’re too focused on the very real hurt.

Forgiveness doesn’t make it all okay. Nor does forgiveness mean you should always invite those people back into your life. It took me a while to understand that. Some people simply aren’t safe to be around. One of those Pinterest posts reminds us that if God removes someone from your life, don’t chase after them. God did it for a reason.

Letting go can be hard. We want to defend ourselves. We want revenge. We want that lost dream restored. Walk away. Cleanse your soul of the filth that situation caused and move forward toward God’s calling.

Bitterness will only destroy you and cause you to sin repeatedly against God. Let it go. You are called to walk in freedom from the sins of the past. That happens one step at a time.