Holding Grudges

    When many of us hear the word "memories," we normally think of good events that occured in our past, such as get-togethers with family or kind words from old friends. We usually think of times that still bring us happiness even once the occasion has passed, merely because it still continues to live on in our hearts. This act of rememberance is referred to as reminiscing.
    Reminiscing mostly means gazing at memories that make you feel wistful—memories that are positive and happy. Sadly, not all pastimes were this wonderful; if they were, we would have lived a perfect life. Believe me, there is a such thing as bad memories, whether they be memories of something hurtful that was said or done to you, or even something hurtful you did or said to someone else. These negative times are hard to look back on, and they often bring us deep sorrow or regret. Now, feeling pain from the past is perfectly normal for a Christian or any other human being, but the inability to forgive the person who caused these less fortunate times is simply holding a grudge.
    I myself will admit, it is very easy to hold a grudge. Judging others for a mistake they made long ago is hard to move away from, especially if we know what they did was morally wrong. It’s easy to hold grudges against ourselves, too, if a past flaw we caused in our lives was accompanied by a shadow of lingering guilt. Of course, we mustn’t forget that guilt can be a good thing—when we make a mistake, it’s only natural that we feel bad for what we did wrong until we ask God for forgiveness, and then He takes that guilt away. If it weren’t for the Holy Spirit, which provides this remorse, we’d have a pretty hard time figuring out what's wrong or what's right! However, if even after repentance we still feel overwhelming shame, consider what Jesus commanded in Mark 11:25: "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses." Also observe what He says in Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." We shouldn't allow resentment from the past to build inside us, and if our grudges are against someone besides ourselves, we must give them a chance to repent and learn from their wrongdoings. After all, God recognizes every sin we’ve ever made, yet He still has the love to forgive and bring us to Heaven. If He can share such a great oppurtunity after all our errors, I believe we as well are inclined to do the same.
    My Christians friends, I hope after reading this you are willing to have mercy on those who have went against you, and that you are able to release the resentment you have held in your grasp for so long. Let us look to the future with anticipance to create better memories---ones that we will desire to remember years after they have passed. God bless.

                                                          Danielle Forrester