Sometimes you have things in your life that hold you back. Some of these drain your energy to such an extent that you cannot enjoy life fully. Sometimes these are things we do to ourselves. Sometimes these are things other people have done to us. Usually it’s the latter that fills our hearts with hatred.

Like a stone in your shoe, it prevents you from gaining speed. The hate pops up everywhere and steals your happiness. And the worst is, the one who had done it to you has moved on long ago.

It’s not good for a person to hate. When we hold on to hatred, when we allow a bad experience from the past to fester, it creates ongoing stress and we all know that stress breaks you down. In his book The seven pillars of health, Don Colbert says: “If you have not forgiven and re-hash that moment, your body will respond as if the situation is occurring now even if it happened 30 years ago.”

Paul is listing all the things that would “make God explode in anger”. This is one of them (Living Bible): ⁸but now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten garments of … hatred …

Apart from God considering it to be a bad thing and not liking it at all, it’s simply bad for us. It has a negative impact on our bodies. It shortens our lives. It steals our joy and prevents us from reaching the dream for our lives.

There is simply nothing good in hating and bearing a grudge. But forgiveness is not easy!

Rosie (not her real name) speaks from her heart:

I know about not forgiving. 

First, my prayer was: “I don’t want to forgive.” 

Then the next step: “I can’t forgive.”

And then: “Lord, I want to forgive, but I still can’t do it. Please help me.”

The whole process took three years (30 years after it had happened). 

Only then could I pick up the phone one day and said: “The greatest birthday present I can give you is to forgive you for what you’ve done to me 30 years ago.”

And all those years I alone was the prisoner. 

Forgiveness made me free! And I thank the Lord who guided me through it step-by-step. Praise the Lord!

Lindie (not her real name) encourages us:

I was hijacked and had to forgive the hijackers who shot me. If the Lord hadn’t given me the strength to jump out of the moving car, I don’t want to think what they would’ve done to me. The Lord helped me to absolve them.

Let’s decide to get rid of hatred gradually as we walk along, as we walk the difficult road of forgiveness. God will help us!

Scripture

Colossians 3:5-6

Reflection

Who has done something to you?

Can you forgive them?

How?

Prayer

Father, this one isn’t easy. I was the innocent party. I didn’t ask for this, but it was done to me. How can I forgive? How can I forget? I know I have to get rid of this hatred, but how? Amen.