Some things get better with age. Quality wine improves over the years. Some varieties of cheeses need time to age.
Clothes generally do not improve with age. Cotton t-shirts fade. Shoes get worn out. Wool sweaters get moth holes.
Another thing that does not get better over time is stored hurts.
Pain and hurt are inevitable in this life. No one gets the option of a pain-free life. However, we do have a choice about what we do with the hurt.
We can store the hurts in our hearts or we can let them go.
At times we may hold onto the pain, thinking this will hurt the person who caused the pain. But this bitterness is not harming the offender, it is poisoning out own souls.
God asks us to let go of the hurt–to make the choice to forgive:
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
Mark 11:25
Instead of holding that hurt, forgive. Releasing it will free your soul. The longer we hang onto an offense, the more time it has to scar our hearts.
If it seems too difficult, pray for the ability to throw out that stored hurt. God has grace available to help us deal with the hurt and the hurter. He wants us to come to Him with our bruised hearts to receive both healing and the ability to forgive.
“As we receive the garment of forgiveness, Jesus unravels our bitterness and knits a new luxurious pattern for our lives.” (Divine Design, p. 177)
Toss out stored hurts.
Next step: Have you been hanging onto stored hurts? Ask God to give you the strength to forgive.
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