Don’t Look Back In Anger

  Sometimes I have a problem letting things go. I am not talking about throwing away an old blender or the kids' art project from 1^st grade but letting go of the feeling when someone did you wrong. Maybe I am not alone in that.

  Let’s consider what we read in Hebrews 12:15;  “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;”. Here is a warning to us about a dangerous under-the-surface growth that can bring trouble and ruin, bitterness.  Bitterness is the lingering resentment that comes when are angered or disappointed. At first, it seems natural but the longer it stays the more it overtakes.

  However, notice why this happens, it is when we come short of the grace of God. Grace is the forgiveness we get that we do not deserve. When we do not fully grasp that we have been forgiven, it keeps us from forgiving. We cannot let go of what another did to us because we never grasped how much we have done to Him.

  Arrogance and self-righteousness often go hand in hand with grudges and unforgiveness. If we think we have never been wrong, we cannot see the need to forgive those who do wrong to us. If we clearly see ourselves as one in need of grace, we are more likely to give it to others.

 The root of bitterness is killed by the embracement of grace.