The Lord reminded me of an incident that happened many years ago, and what He told me then is still true today.
Okay, here it goes! I was on my way to work one morning and enjoying the conversation I was having with the Savior. I loved those mornings and have often wished for them back, because my day just seemed to start off better. For some reason my mind is clearer in the car in the mornings. It is probably because I’ve stopped all the running around from getting ready for work, but I digress.
So, I am on the highway, in the middle of summer, and it is hot outside! I do mean hot! I’m driving along and a spider crawls across the windshield. I hate spiders! I grabbed something to kill it. I don’t remember what it was, but for the sake of this story let’s just say it was a napkin. While still driving, I began trying to swat at the spider as it crawls this way and that way trying to get away from me. It finally crawls down into the vent area at the base of the windshield.
I got this big bright idea to turn the air off, and to cut the heat all the way up to drive the spider out of its hiding place. Yet, I am still driving in the midst of this whole ordeal. Then while waiting for this intruder to emerge I hear myself say “fool, you’re going to kill yourself from all this heat instead of the spider!”. I knew the Lord was speaking to me! The spider had gone on living its life, and I was spending up all my time and energy trying to kill it. In the process I was killing me! I thought to myself, suffocation and heat stroke are a real thing genius! I chuckle to think what the other motorist must have been thinking watching me through the window.
The Lord began to speak to my heart and explain that that is how some of us do when we hold on to things. Especially, when we hold on to things that people have done or said to us. Unbeknownst to many, the heat of bitterness is turned up in their spirit and it is constantly and quietly eating away at their hearts. Its poison being released into their blood stream; everything, and everyone around them.
Holding on to bitterness keeps us in bondage. It keeps us from moving forward, and has the potential to cause more damage in our lives. It can also cause harm to innocent bystanders in our lives. Think about it. What if I hadn’t paid attention when the Lord spoke to me? What if I had continued my quest to kill the spider and I’d inadvertently caused a car accident? That car accident had the potential to take my life, and quite possibly the life of others who would have had no clue that it was all because of a tiny spider. While I am speaking of the potential physical outcome, the outcome spiritually could be quite the same.
Is holding on to the pain, anger, and resentment of an experience worth dying over? Is it worth killing yourself and the ones you love? Or, is it better to let the Lord fight your battle? Trust me, just cut the air back on, or roll down the window! Remember, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 NIV
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