Matthew 5:22-25 (Amplified Bible)
22But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire. 23So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you, 24Leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way traveling with him, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
My son and I had a little "thing today," it was something that hurt my feelings, but to him it was just an expression of his opinion. A few years ago, I would have let things fester and allowed my hurt feelings to last. Although my thought would have been I am not going to get mad, I would have thought to myself that I will let things fester by allowing him to sweat it out, thinking thoughts that caused him anxiety. It would have been I won't get mad but I will get even in my own little way. But today thank God for deliverance, because I could let it go as quickly as it came.
For so many of us we think it is our place to teach people a lesson, by making them hurt, or making them uncomfortable because we have perceived that they have hurt us or made us uncomfortable in some way. Because we have not allowed God to bring us into a place of deliverance we still think that it is our job to pay people back, for what is perceived as their transgressions against us. There are some that even think to themselves they will have to come to me, and chase me down to make things right, I will make them sweat it out. But is this what God does to us? No, when we were yet in our sin "Christ died for us." Christ came to bridge the gap when we had done the wrong not Him. When we make a mistake, and we ask for forgiveness, He is quick to forgive us and to restore us. But yet we feel within our right to make people pay, suffer or squirm. If we treat people like this we can expect to be treated like this. If we lack the capacity to forgive, we will not be forgiven, if we want to make people pay for their transgressions, then surely we are setting ourself up to pay for ours.
Even if someone has wronged us, it is still our responsibility to forgive and move on. God will handle the rest. If we handle it, God's justice is not needed and we open ourselves up to being dealt what we are dealing out. My mom use to tell me stop giving people a piece of your mind you aren't going to have anything left. Likewise, we need to stop giving away pieces of ourselves to anger and payback, we may find one day that there is nothing left when we need it most. If we are feeling the need to dispense justice, remember mercy may not be present and we will be hard pressed to receive back what we have not given, when we need it most. Whether we have wronged or we feel we have been wronged, make it right, and let God handle the rest! We will find peace in the place of mercy and grace.
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