You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:18

I’ve been holding my toilet paper like it was treasure.
I’ve been holding my breath in this uncomfortable mask.
I’ve been holding judgement over some crazy politics.
I’ve been holding my tongue over my strong opinions.

But there’s one thing I just can’t hold anymore.
I can’t hold this grudge, against you.

You and I don’t always see eye to eye. Some of the things you’ve done or said have certainly rubbed me the wrong way. You stepped on my toes along the way, and even ruined a couple of days.

But this grudge, it’s weighing me down.

I suppose this planet is big enough to put some distance between us, but that seems silly. I guess we could meet out in the parking lot and fight it out, but that seems even sillier.

You aren’t my enemy. You’re just my grudge. And as I look around the bizarre world these days, I see people glaring at each other suspiciously, sometimes with animosity. It’s as if society has broken down, and people can’t be civil anymore. People have forgotten how to forgive. People have let grace slip away.

Or maybe that’s just me. After all, that’s what you see when you look at the world through the lens of a grudge. And that’s not how I want to see things. That’s not how I want to behave. Certainly, that’s not what God has in mind for you and me and all of humanity.

Maybe I’ve let all the pressure get to me. Maybe I need to just chill out. Maybe I need to forgive, to acknowledge my own shortcomings. Maybe I need to extend an olive branch.

Who knows? Maybe you have no idea I feel this way. But this change of heart is for me as much as it is for you. I’ve been holding on to this for a while now.

That’s it. That’s all. For the sake of my sanity, and for the sake of the world, I need to let go…

and let God.

Have a great week,

Mitch

P.S. In case you think I’m talking about you,
I’m NOT! I am currently grudge-free! 🙂