WHY PROLONG THE PAIN?
LIFE Devotions–June 7, 2016
 

“The merciful man does good for his own soul, 
but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.”
–Proverbs 11:17 [NKJV]

Trying to make others pay for what they have done wrong to us will simply multiply the agony inside our souls. Holding on to the record of wrongs, the evidence of sin, reviewing and rehearsing when, where, and how they hurt us digs a deeper hole of interminable stress, argument, and feud. It adds torment to our trouble and woe to our wounded heart. 

Why prolong the pain caused by our abusers by abusing ourselves further through an unforgiving heart? Why continue the assault by taking it from where they left off to stab our own hearts with the sharp blades of bitterness and hatred? Shall we add evil upon evil? Shall we resurrect cruelty and keep it alive within our bodies? Shall we win a case but lose our minds in the process?

Certainly not. God gives us a better alternative. To be merciful. To burn the record. To let go of the evidence. To refuse to seek revenge and instead seek God for His fair judgment. To let go and let God. His mercy liberates us from carrying the heavy burden of playing God and managing someone else’s justice. It is God’s gift to both protect our soul from rust and shake our oppressors conscience to repentance. The path is smoother, the weight is lighter, the soul is stronger when mercy and not meanness takes control of our hearts. 

PONDERING
– Do I need to make a choice to stop seeking justice in my own strength and let God be God to set the record straight?

– Take a few minutes on your knees and place both your pain and offender in God’s hands. Allow God to be your health and justice provider. He is a much better doctor and lawyer that you will ever be.