“Love is patient, love is
kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not
dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never
fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love should exhibit kindness to others at all times. It’s not envious of what others have, whether
it be money, a career or material possessions.
Love isn’t proud or boastful about what it does have or of accomplishments it has achieved, understanding that
God gave the ability to achieve it. It
doesn’t disrespect others or seek for its’ own elevation. All these are obviously necessary traits to
practice; however, I would like to take a closer look at anger and not holding
things against an individual.
It seems as though anger is raging out of control in our
society. We’re nearly always angry about something or toward someone. Our self-control is out of whack. We mentally
record every wrong someone else has ever done to us and hold it against them
forever. Forgiveness is the key to
anger. Letting go is another key, but it
starts with true forgiveness. We must
turn to the Lord to find our greatest example of forgiveness. God forgave all that we had ever done against
His will since the beginning of time.
Christ bore the immense weight of all that sin on the cross on
Golgotha’s hill, yet we cannot find it in our own hearts to forgive another
whose sin is nothing compared to the life of sins we had accumulated. It is essential to a Christian’s life to
forgive just as you were forgiven. Forgiveness
is born out of unconditional love. When
we show others forgiveness, we are showing them God. When we exhibit mercy and grace, we are
introducing them to the kingdom.
It’s not an option to live like this. It is expected of us by the One who gave us
life. We are to be His reflection. Not a negative, but a position
reflection. A poor reflection sends the
wrong message regarding who God is. We
drive people away from the Lord with our poor attitude and inability to forgive. Let the anger go. Forgive and remember it against them no more …
just like God did with you. Until next
time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
