PROVERBS 17:9 – He who conceals a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.
THEME OF THE DAY. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO LET THINGS GO. There are many certainties in life. If we took the time to list them, we each would come up with a full sheet of paper. To introduce us to the theme of today’s nugget, I will list one of those inevitabilities in life – people hurt people, people sin against people, people disappoint people. And yes, we are not only the sad recipients of hurt, sin, and disappointment from people, we give hurt, sin, and disappointment to people. Hopefully, not willingly but just by the reality we still battle the sins of the flesh and selfishness.
When those painful things do happen to us, how should we respond? We are aware of Matthew 18 and the right steps the Lord gives when believers sin against us, but is that always the case? I do not think so and that takes us to a consideration before we look at a couple of other responses when hurt and sinned against. Think for a moment how the Lord treats us. How often do we sin against Him in thought and deed? It feels like constantly, doesn’t it? So, when we come to the end of a day or week, do we find ourselves remembering every sin we committed against the Lord? I don’t. Nor do you. We do not have that detailed of a recall. And what does the Lord do? He doesn’t “overlook” our sin, but He does give grace, mercy, love and remembers we are in Him, justified, while remembering not our sin. Now let’s consider two other ways we may respond when hurt or sinned against.
First, we may hold it against a person with an unforgiving spirit. We simply stew over the hurt, turn bitter, and allow the relationship to sour. In choosing this response, we are ultimately the ones suffering the most. We lose joy. We lose the peace of God. Though the hurt and pain are real, if we follow this course of action, the hurt and pain will go deeper. Why? We are now disobeying the Lord by harboring an unloving and unforgiving heart. The pain of His discipline may be worse than the hurt or sin against us. But there is another course of action and the right one. It is found in today’s scripture.
Sometimes, the best response when sinned against and hurt is simply to let it go. Is this hard? Yes, but God’s grace is sufficient even for this difficult reaction to someone bringing pain into our lives. It may very well be one of the most Christ-like qualities we ever put on display from our lives. Ultimately, if we do let certain things go, we become more and more like Christ. We display mercy, patience, and a love that doesn’t hold things against others. And the joy in doing so will be indescribable.
Yes, people hurt people. How we respond speaks volumes of how well we understand how God treats us. May we have discernment to realize and practice the truth that sometimes the best thing to do is simply to let things go.
PRAYER: “Father, give me discernment to know when I just have to let hurts and offenses go.”
QUOTE: “People hurt people and that will always be this side of heaven. Letting them go is often best.”