A person who harbors unforgiveness always loses. Regardless
of how wrong
the other person may have been, refusing to forgive means reaping
corruption in life.
And that corruption begins in one relationship— including the
relationship with God,
and works its way into all the rest.
Holding onto hurt is like grabbing a rattlesnake by the tail; you
are going to be
bitten. As the poison of bitterness works its way through the many
facets of your
personality, death will occur—death that is more far-reaching
than your physical
death, for it has the potential to destroy those around you as well.
Have you been hurt? Has somebody, somewhere in your past, rejected
you in
such a way that you still hurt when you think about it? Do you become
critical of
people in your past the minute their names are mentioned? Did you
leave home as
a child or a college student with great relief that you were leaving,
swearing you
would never return?
Whatever your situation, whatever has happened in your past, remember
that
you are the loser if you do not deal with an unforgiving spirit.
And the people around
you suffer, too.
Additional scripture readings:
Matthew 18:21-35
Ephesians 4:25-32
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Grabbing Rattlesnakes — Harboring Unforgiveness (PDF 59 kb)
