Love Doesn’t Brood Over Injury

How often do we find ourselves being hurt by someone we know and brooding over it for days, weeks and even months? Sometimes the person knows they hurt us, but often times they have no clue. I know I have experienced this, where people that I’ve known for a while, all of a sudden won’t talk to me and even seem to shun me. I start thinking back to all the things I’ve said and done and often have no clue what I did or even how to fix it. Too often this same thing happens with those we love. We become hurt by something they say or do and instead of trying to work through this issue with them, we stew on it for a while and allow ourselves to think the worst and to become more and more angry.

Love calls for forgiveness. Even when what the other person did was on purpose. Forgiveness does not mean that we condone the other person’s actions, or that we forget what they did quickly, or even that we trust them right away. Forgiveness means letting go of the anger that holds us bound and makes us bitter. Someone once said, unforgiveness is like eating arsenic and hoping the other person will get sick. Unforgiveness usually only hurts us.

If we can talk with the person who hurt us and try to fix the problem between us, we should. We should seek to learn and grow from our mistakes, and help the other person know how they too can fix their mistakes. Often, I wish others would give me the chance to fix what I’ve broken. And if we can’t fix the problem, then love calls us to pray for those who have hurt us so that God can move and change their heart.

ACTION STEP: This week, if you find yourself unable to stop brooding about something your spouse did that hurt you, ask for God’s grace to truly forgive them. If you are able to talk with them about the issue, do it. Just be patient, gentle and honest.