Love...keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Corinthians 13:4) Jesus said that this was one of the Laws that summed up all the others (Matthew 22:39,40). I'll bet when you read that verse, the 'bear a grudge' part pricked your heart, or at least provoked a memory. We seem so ready to be offended in this day and age. Jesus warned us that this would be true (Matthew 24:12). We have lauded self-esteem but forgotten to warn of pride. Pride sets itself above others and demands that others give us respect and honor. If we hear a word spoken against us, we readily forget all the words we have spoken that are wrong against others and excommunicate that person from our love and grace. In the worst cases, we play the offense over and over in our minds until it festers and becomes an infection in our memories. Just to touch on it brings back the pain. Believe it or not, the cause of all that is self, not the one who offended you. If we esteem others better than ourselves, we will examine their words to see if there is truth in them. If there is, we will apologize and adjust our life. If there is not, we will give those words to God and go on loving that person. How many times have we offended God? Does He harbor each offense and bring them up to you every time you want to pray? Jesus said that God will treat you as you treat others. It sounds like we better be very generous in our forgiveness, don't you think?
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