Don’t Let A Grudge Hold You

Don’t Let a Grudge Hold You

Bible Blast: Read Genesis 27:41-45

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18

Kim was only nine years old when her village was raided. She remembers running down a street after fire had burned off her clothing. The photo of her running terrified and naked through the streets is a famous image from the Vietnam War. When Kim returned home from the hospital, everything was gone. She was also told she could no longer attend school, destroying her dream of one day becoming a doctor. Headaches, hatred, and anger consumed her until she began to spend hours in the library reading books, including the Bible. Through that book, she met Jesus and made him Lord of her life and learned to forgive those who hurt her. Today she is living a happy and healthy life because she chose to stop holding a grudge against those who hurt her and to live in forgiveness.

God wants you and me to forgive people, no matter how badly they hurt us. It would have been best if Esau had forgiven his brother for getting the birthright that he actually gave away for a bowl of stew, but he didn’t. The Bible tells us that he held a grudge.

How can you know if you are holding a grudge? Here are three questions I ask myself. 1.) Am I planning evil in my mind? These are not necessarily plans you intend to carry out, but you enjoy thinking about how to get revenge. 2.) Am I running away from the relationship? If your heart is clean, you’ll hope that you can eventually work it out. 3.) Do I find myself lying to make this person look worse? If you answered yes to any of these, you may be holding a grudge.

But here’s the deal: I’m not sure if we hold grudges or they hold us. You see, the Hebrew word for grudge is satam. Sound similar to a name you know? It means “to hate,” and it is the root word for Satan. We have to be very careful to guard against grudges, because they are really Satan holding on to us and using us. That thought often gets me on my knees asking for forgiveness and being willing to extend it.

Girl Gab: Spend a moment in quiet prayer asking God if there is anyone you need to forgive. Mom, after the silence, ask your daughter if there is a relationship she’d like to talk about. Coach her through the process of truly forgiving and letting go.