Love Always Thinks the Best
It is amazing to me how seemingly obscure things linger in my memory. One of those memories is the comment that a neighbor made when I was a teenager. My sister had just given birth to her first child at a young age. This neighbor said, “You will be next.” That day, I promised myself that would never happen.
There have been other instances where I felt comments were made to demean me. I am writing about this today because it recently happened again. In my struggle to deal with it, I remembered 1 Corinthians 13:7 which states, “love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Studying this scripture, I understood that love keeps no record of wrongs and love always believes the best. In other words, love lets it go. While it is easy to hold grudges or retaliate, it is not good for our spirit. While we may feel immediate gratification, it does not last. Soon, we will find ourselves bitter and angry all over again.
The biblical principle is to forgive and allow God to render justice. Forgiveness requires love—the love of God. God’s love empowers us to love others, even those who do not love us. Through the love of God, we can forgive, pray for, and even desire the best for those who do us wrong. So, how do we forgive and let it go?
Hebrews 4:14-16 informs us that God knows our struggles and understands how we feel. So, start by admitting that we cannot, nor do we have the desire to forgive. Next, ask God for help. Verse 16 helps us understand that because our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ faced all the same testings, and knows our weaknesses, we can come boldly to the throne of grace and find help in our time of need. God knows that we need help, and He is ready to help us. Try this prayer, “God, this really hurt me, and I am trying to handle it in a godly way, but I am struggling. Please help me. I love you and I thank you for the work that you’ve already done and for the work that you are going to do in my heart.” Finally, believe that He will help you.
Friends, I desire your prayers. This is a real and present struggle for me and even as I write this letter, I am working through this process, and I am confident that God, who began this good work in me, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6).
For God’s Glory,
Tahnee
