The Word on Grudges
Grudge: a feeling of ill will or resentment
I PREFER to liken a grudge to cud as in <A painful issue/topic you’ve chewed and swallowed and then decide to spit up and chew again.> ⇐Love that word picture! LOL
ONE ASPECT of God’s character I adore is His integrity. God Himself never asks us to do anything He wouldn’t do. Holding a grudge is one example.
ALL TOO FAMILIAR verses might be coming to mind, such as “don’t repay evil for evil” Romans 12:17
Or “You shall not … bear a grudge…” Leviticus 19:18.
And definitely Ephesians 4:26, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.”
BUT THOSE are the “rules of conduct” and the higher calling we are asked to live by. But what about God?
Psalm 30:5 expresses HIs character beautifully:
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
READ THAT AGAIN. His anger is momentary. Yes, He gets angry. But He deals with it and then lets it go. Do we?
AND—this is truly amazing!—His favor is for life. FOR LIFE! Like a BFF (best friend for life) Favor for life.
Selah… let that sink in.
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WHEN FAVOR GOES TO YOUR HEAD
A LICENSE to do your own thing?
Okay we are made in His image, but we are not actually God, nor designed with the omni-____ abilities to be our own god. But, on occasion, all of us do fall into the “me is God” trap.
(verses 6-7)
When I was prosperous, I said,
“Nothing can stop me now!”
Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
THE SENSITIVE heart of the Psalmist clearly displays a close relationship with his Heavenly Father; and in the long run, he recognizes the TRUE SOURCE of his security and prosperity came from God’s favor and not from his human abilities.
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WHAT MOVES ME more than that is how God in His MERCY does not let us get away with anything that separates us from life. The “I’M UNSTOPPABLE” attitude is unacceptable, and self-destructive. No loving parent would allow his child to travel a destructive route for long.
YET NOTE how quickly and graciously God responds to the repentant heart:
I cried out to you, O Lord.
I begged the Lord for mercy …
Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
“Help me, O Lord.”
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy…
(verses 8-11, emphasis mine.)
HIS DISCIPLINE is not only done in love but has the power to restore the soul and restore what was lost through our stupid mistakes.
♥
But a grudge?
Love has no time to chew that kind of cud.
