ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

bitterness is forgiveness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, you heavenly Fa- ther will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14-15). If only Ahithophel could have found it in his heart to for- give his friend and leave the repercussions to God.According to the Bible, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, IWILL REPAY, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). God does a much better job punishing His children than we could ever do. In fact, David soon began to pay the price for his indiscretion and would do so for the rest of his life. In addition to forgiving, we should make every effort to forget. Forgiveness is incomplete if we continue to replay the hurts over and over in our heads. If God has removed our transgressions from us, “As far as the east is from the west” and “Cast all (our) sins Into the depths of the sea” (Psalm 103:12, Micah 7:19), then cer- tainly we ought to utilize that power, doing everything within ours, to scrub our minds of ill-treatment against us. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was re- minded one day of a vicious act that someone had committed against her years before.Yet, she responded as if she had never heard of the incident. “Don’t you remember it?” her friend asked. “No,” came Clara’s reply, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.” 39 It’s much too late for Ahithophel to erase his actions, but there’s still time for you. Don’t let hurts and resentment keep you trudging through the mud. Get better, not bitter.

39