Proverb 10:12

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. (ESV)

The Amplified Version says:

Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers and overwhelms all transgressions [forgiving and overlooking another’s faults].

One of the most common human experiences is being wronged by someone. The actions or words of another can cause us heart-ache, pain, difficulty and financial ruin for not only us but for those we love. Since we live and experience the pain of other people’s actions, the natural reaction is anger. If left unchecked, anger turns into bitterness. And left unchecked, bitterness turns into strife and discord, not only within you, but with others within your circle.

Unresolved anger is self-destructive. It eats away at you. As your mind dwells on the wrong, the wrongful action gets multiplied in your mind. Your mind pulls in your emotions and soon you have what the old folks used to say is a “hot mess!”. That “hot mess” can’t help but manifest itself in other ways, many times in ways that hurt others around us, and not the one who offended us.

This scripture really speaks of forgiveness. But we must remember that forgiveness starts with a decision to not pay back; it is not a matter of what you feel, it’s first what you decide. Emotions tend to follow along later.

Forgiveness is not saying that what the offender did was okay; its first a means to get you off the path of self-destruction and get you back in fellowship with God.

Are you burning with unresolved anger? If so, save yourself, decide to forgive, and avoid a “hot mess”.