Walk down any supermarket check-out lane and all you’ll see is celebrity gossip. Who got married, who’s sleeping around, and who’s in the middle of a nasty divorce. It isn’t pretty, and journalists dissect every bitter argument, every legal fight, and every cruel half-truth.
How do you react when you’re the one with a broken relationship? Do you badmouth an ex-boyfriend? Do you take revenge on a woman you used to love? Juicy gossip goes a long way, especially with all the social media forums you have at your fingertips. Are you giving your pain and bitterness to God, or are you relishing it, channeling it into words designed only to hurt?
Check out what the apostle John says in 1 John 2:9: “If anyone claims, ‘I am living in the light,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness.” Ouch. And in James 3:6, we’re cautioned that “the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” So what’s a broken, angry person to do?
Sounds like you’re supposed to love your ex as a fellow Christian. It’s good for them, and it’s good for you. But how exactly do you love someone who’s broken you heart? Do you run in fear and never talk to them again? Avoid all social situations and find a new group of friends ASAP?
Christians are called to something bigger than that. We’re called to forgiveness. Although we may never forget the pain of the past, we can still find release from the vicious cycle of pain, bitterness, and anger. Will you ask God for the strength to forgive today?
Prayer: Show me what true love is. Help me love those who have hurt me as you have loved me. Forgive me for the way I’ve hurt others in the past, and stop me from making mistakes in the present. Wipe the slate clean and show me how to forgive as you forgave. Amen.
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