Today’s Scripture: Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
Two monks came across an old woman sitting at the edge of a river. She could not cross over on her own because there was no bridge. So the first monk offered to help. Together, they carried the old woman across, dropped her and journeyed on. A few miles on, the second monk began to complain: “Look at my clothes,” he said. “They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river, and my back still hurts from lifting her. I can feel it getting stiff.” The first monk just smiled and nodded his head. A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped again, “My back is hurting me so badly, and it is all because we had to carry that silly woman across the river! I cannot go any farther because of the pain.” The first monk looked down at his partner and said: “Your back hurts because you are still carrying the woman. But I set her down five miles ago.”
Many relationships are plagued by lingering hurts and offences, carried on by both or either party. Sometimes hurts are carried in from past relationships and they become toxic to the present. We must learn to let go. To let go, we must learn the art of needful forgetting. God does not allow our past offences prejudice His expectations of us. The Bible says He throws our offences into the sea of forgetfulness. So do not allow the past offence of a person—your husband, wife, children, employer, employee, friend or colleague—cause you to hold back love, affection or trust. This would only strain your relationship and hurt you more.
Also, refuse to allow the hurts of your childhood or youth becloud the expected bliss of your present relationships. Keep your relationships fresh, unpolluted by hurts and the offences of the past. Learn to let go. Learn to forget. The truth is that no one can help you better than the Holy Spirit. Take your hurts and offences to the Master and drop them at His feet. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you. Ingest the Word of God, meditate on It. Hold fast to It. Nothing can offend you with the Word of God firmly in place in your heart.
Today, the Lord will comfort you, help you offload the burden of past and present hurts and offences, and give you the grace to meet every relationship with a renewed sense of love, peace and joy, in Jesus’ name.
Memorize & Meditate:
“Great peace have they who love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165 (KJV)
Prayer/Confession:
Father, I lay every hurt at Your feet today, even those I am unconscious of. Help me Lord to let go o f every hurt. Let Your love reign in me. I declare that I love everyone around me for who they are. I am free from past hurts and offences, in Jesus’ name.
