Grudge or Garage

Mustard Seed Chronicles: Story Time with LU Grandma

As we begin to plan for the upcoming academic year, your child may be leaving home for the first time to attend college. Maybe this is a second or third child for you and you feel more prepared. For the first-timers, especially, there are plenty of questions to ask, items to put on checklists, and ways in which to prepare.

No matter if you are about to embark on a first-year experience or not, an inventory can be made of your thought process and the upcoming transition in your family’s life. Allow the Lord to clean out anything that may get in the way, or have already gotten in the way, of your family’s success in following His will in each of your lives. May God’s teachings in my life help you take inventory of yours and be a blessing.

When my boys were in high school, there was a young boy “Gee” in their class who was a foreign exchange student from Brazil. As often happens with international students, their take on the English language sometimes can be a little different to understand.

One night in youth group the youth pastor was talking about carrying a grudge. Gee spoke up and asked, “Why would anyone want to carry a garage?” After having a little laugh and explaining the difference between “grudge” and “garage,” it got us all to thinking.

Now some people may have their garage very tidy, and a car actually fits in the garage. Others may have so much stacked and stored in their garage that they have only a walkway between boxes to move around in it. Are you picturing your family’s garage in your mind?

What about our “mind” garage? Is it littered with boxes of grudges, or is it useful and able to take in what is meant to be there?

Are we carrying around a lot of old garbage in our minds? Old hurts, bitterness, and grudges that we should have gotten rid of a long time ago. You know that nasty, stinky stuff that we carry around.

I remember a time when I did something that I thought would be very honoring to a dear friend. Unfortunately, the friend was highly offended and broke off the relationship. No matter how I tried to “fix” the situation, they just would not forgive me or see my side of things. The root of a grudge, or bitterness, in our brains is pride (as in: “I don’t deserve to be treated this way!”). Maybe you have also experienced something like I have. What has been boxed and stored in your mind’s garage?

God calls us to empty that “garage” and forgive as we have been forgiven.

We’re seeing a lot of pride right now in our neighborhoods and among our families, and it’s really very sad. If we were treated in the manner that we really deserve for the sins we have committed against each other, we would not be the least bit happy about that either! Did Jesus get what He deserved when He was here? Absolutely NOT! But from the cross He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

We are called to be like Christ and give mercy to those who try to hurt us on purpose and grace to those who don’t understand how their speech or actions are affecting us.

So, let’s collectively clean out the Grudge Garage so we can use that space for what it was intended for: to love God and love others!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we are so prone with our sin nature to hurt others or to allow others to hurt us. Please alert us to our pride problem in a situation before it becomes stinky and offensive to You and to others so we can confess and repent. We want a “clean garage” where You can abide, and we can bring forth love to others from within.

I pray this in the name of Jesus, who died to free us from our sin.

Amen!