Friday, June 16 You must not take vengeance nor hold a grudge.​—Lev. 19:18.

[Áine]

Friday, June 16

You must not take vengeance nor hold a grudge.—Lev. 19:18.

 

Hurt feelings can be likened to physical wounds. Some are minor; others are serious. For example, when we open an envelope, we might get a slight paper cut on our finger. That can really hurt, but after a day or two, perhaps we do not even recall where the cut was. Similarly, some offenses are minor. For example, a friend may say or do something thoughtless that hurts us, but we are able to forgive him easily. But if we have a deeper wound, a doctor may have to stitch the wound and bind it in bandages. If we were to keep poking or picking at the wound, we would only harm ourselves. Sadly, a person might be doing something similar when he is deeply offended. He may constantly think about the emotional injury he suffered and the hurt the other person caused him. But those who hold a grudge hurt only themselves. How much better it is to obey the counsel found in today’s text. w21.12 12 ¶15