In the Bible, we’re told of how Jesus teaches that when we
feel that we’ve been wronged, to go to the person and say something. This isn’t
necessarily to show someone that they’ve done something wrong. No. It’s to say
“I’m bugged, I’ve been hurt, and let’s chat.” It doesn’t mean that afterwards
you get to walk away vindicated. It means that you have gone to make peace with
someone. It doesn’t mean that you are justified in some way. It means that you
felt hurt and you want to express that in some way.
The scripture also says that if the other person doesn’t listen, then go with someone else and have a chat. But again, only if the person doesn’t want to listen. First, the meeting is done between you and the person you feel has wronged you.
The background for this may have come from Leviticus or Proverbs, where it was taught to not hold hate in the heart, nor betray one’s confidence before holding judgment against them (Lev 19:17; Prov 25:9).
And sometimes we don’t even have to say anything. Maybe we just have to look at the situation (For example, if we’re upset at the waitress for the long wait, think of what he/she may be dealing with. It’s not his/her fault that a table of 30 just walked in and changed their order a dozen times).
How often do we hold trash, gunk, crap, junk, and such in our hearts?
If we always hold the hurt inside of us, we miss the opportunity to learn or gain from others. If we turn our noses up at people we don’t like because of some mistaken words, we miss out on some blessing later.
When we stew and stew, the only thing burning and boiling over is our guts and no one else’s.
And in the end, we could have peace in our hearts and possibly a great friend in the process.
