I at one point had been having a personal issue when I mowed grass at our church. It seemed like every time I mowed, I got angry. I couldn’t understand why. I mean I didn’t mind mowing the grass. Yet the same thing happened every time. One particular time I was cutting grass around a culvert and all the sudden it hit me. I knew why I was angry. I was offended deep within my spirit and didn’t realize it. You see we have teams that cut grass at church. One time I was having issues getting the grass cut around the culvert. My weed eater just would not cut it, literally. I told one of the other guys on the team and ask if he could give it a try when he came by. Well between that time and the next church service that I was in I lost one of my nephews. The next time I walked into church, I was hurting from losing him. When the man that I had talked to about the culvert saw me, he unintentionally wounded my spirit. He approached me and the first thing he said was, “What do you mean, you couldn’t cut that culvert? I didn’t have any problem at all.” In my mind I thought, “I just lost my nephew, do you think I care about grass?” But I smiled and laughed it off. I will insert here, that you’d have to know this man. He is genuinely one of the most caring men that I know and would never intentionally hurt someone. He was just playing with me as he and I often did. Who knows, maybe he was trying to lighten my mood by playing with me. Unfortunately though it put a wound in me that would lay dormant and begin to fester. I would unknowingly struggle with this like a splinter that is stuck just under your skin that you forget about until it brushes across something and snags it. Well just like the splinter I had to dig this out. I promptly forgave my friend more like I forgave the offense because I wasn’t upset with him really. I had to root out the anger and bitterness that was infecting my spirit. You too may have been unknowingly offended. Maybe you seem overly sensitive in some area of your life. Bitterness can do this. As it says in Hebrews 12:15 KJV… lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. You see the root of bitterness will trouble you and defile you or make unclean.
Do some soul searching and ask God to reveal to you if you are harboring anything that would cause this. Once you know, do not delay, but get it taken care of immediately. Maybe you do know what is bothering you, but you just can’t seem to let it go. You may have unforgiveness towards someone, but feel like forgiving them somehow lets them off the hook. Trust me they aren’t the ones on the hook. Unforgiveness builds a prison cell that you build yourself and then lock yourself in. You are the one that holds the key. Set yourself free and forgive the other person. Don’t walk around shackled to unforgiveness and bitterness.
Ephesians 4:32 KJV And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.