Love Keeps No Record Of Wrongs

Do you keep a list of the wrongs someone has done you, even if it's only mentally? Or have you subconsciously kept a mental note of times that people have upset you or caused you pain? Do you even find yourself saying to someone, 'Well, you owe me for that other time,' or ' Remember when you did this?' Maybe you feel entitled to be angry with someone as you believe they deserve it, or you feel wronged when someone tells you that you've hurt them, because you feel they hurt you more over something else. The truth is, if you really love someone, you're not going to keep a record of their wrongs, whether that's a physical list or a mental one.

Holding on to grudges only leads to bitterness and resentment, and an unforgiving heart becomes a hard and unloving heart. True love doesn't store grudges, doesn't drag up the past and doesn't remind others of their grievances. True love forgives.

There's a reason it's called 'the past'. The past is where it should stay. When you love someone, you are willing to truly exercise forgiveness and move on completely, without digging up past wrongs when they offend you again.

We're all human and we're going to make mistakes, and there will be times when we cause hurt and when others hurt us. Repentance and forgiveness are then the order of the day, and then it's time to let go completely of those past offences, and don't allow your heart to become hard.

Forgiveness isn't easy, but it's the response that flows from a truly loving heart, and is what will help you move on from pain and grievances. Remembering past wrongs will only harden your heart, and bitterness and resentment will slowly change you into someone who is angry, joyless and embittered.

It's especially important you don't allow bitterness and an unforgiving heart to come between you and your spouse, as this will cause a great divide in your marriage, and will only cause deeper pain and hurt.

Love understands that the other person is not perfect, just as you are not perfect. Love is gracious and forgiving, no matter how many times someone may let you down. On a quick side-note, I would just like to point out that 'love keeps no record of wrongs' is not condoning abusive behaviour from anyone, and no one should put up with that; but rather, love will forgive those who truly seek forgiveness and will not hold on to the past.

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:13-14.)