«Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled» (Hebrews 12:15).
I don’t know how or when it started, but for a few years now, I have to do a checkup before I leave the house: make sure I don’t have hairs on my chin. I have a magnifying mirror which I put on the windowsill to take advantage of the natural light. And with some tweezers, I work at uprooting the invaders as if they were weeds in a garden. If, for some reason, I find in the middle of the day, that I have a little hair growing on my chin, I can’t stop touching it! I can’t stop rubbing the tip of my thumb against its sharp end. I can’t wait until I get home to remove it immediately. Beyond challenging social conventions, or bothering us cosmetically, chin hairs are harmless. However, many women share this feeling of shame and urgency to get rid of them. One morning, as I searched my chin in front of the mirror, it occurred to me that I should pay equal or greater attention to uprooting the hard feelings from my heart.
Hard feelings are poisonous roots that pollute the soul of bitterness. However, we sometimes not only allow them to grow, but we water them. Why? Because there is a part of the process of forgiving that causes us pain. Forgiveness involves pulling out, completely uprooting our «right» to retaliate. It means paying off the debt and tearing the promissory note in pieces. It means starting over with a new slate! This hurts us because we fear it will justify what happened, but it doesn’t. In his article «Forgiveness» pastor and theologian Sam Storms had this to say, «Forgiveness does not mean you should ignore that someone hurt you. Forgiveness does not mean that you must close your eyes to a moral atrocity and pretend that something did not hurt you, or that it doesn’t really matter that the offender is called to account for his crime or not. . Forgiveness simply means that you decide, in your heart, to let God be the avenger. He’s the judge, not you.»
Forgiveness is not justifying what happened. Neither is it pretending it didn’t happen. It is trusting that God will judge correctly.
Dear Lord, when I am reluctant to forgive, may the sharp ends of the roots of hard feelings make me uncomfortable; may it poke me as much as a little hair growing on my chin. May my discomfort be such that it forces me to pray until You completely uproot every bit of bitterness from my heart.
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.
