Exercise

I love Maxine - she reminds me of my Grammar (Grandma Vines for those who need interpretations) - and she cracks me up!  I even "liked" her on facebook and now I get a daily dose of crazy every day!  Today, however, I found her post had quite a bit of "umph" to it.

As funny as it is, it's so sad too.  How many of us carry grudge-weights around for 1, 5, 10, 20 years. . . ????  A grudge can develop from just about anything; legitimate reasons for being offended, hurt or sorrowed or even something as silly as harboring bad feelings because Susie So-and-So broke in line at the church picnic, therefore you didn't get a roll (no - I do not have this grudge - it was just a silly example).  Regardless of your reason, a grudge only harms you.  Odds are - Susie had no idea she was breaking in line, so she had no idea she took YOUR roll and has no idea why you still glare at her, 10 years later, whenever you pass eachother.  Or - what about the "legitimate grudge". . . how long are you going to give that person power over your life?  At what point do you set down the weights that have done nothing but cause you pain and possibly given you a few gray hairs??  I've often heard it said, "forgiveness isn't for the other person" and in the past few years, I have lived proof of that statement.  Forgiveness is they only way you get to set the weight down.  SIDE NOTE: Once you set it down, you must then WALK AWAY!! You don't get to pick it up again! 

Yesterday, a young woman in a nearby town died in a car accident.  Being the small world that it is, she happened to be really good friends with a lot of other young ladies that I love - who live in another state.  I only mention this because the sorrow has touched close to home and caused me to really reflect on things - as tragedies oftentimes cause us to do.  This young lady is with Jesus now - no question about that - but the sorrow of knowing that life is so fragile is sometimes breathtaking.  With this in mind, don't continue carrying the weight of a grudge.  Let it go - let the offender go - and most importantly, set yourself free.  Life is too precious, too fragile and sometimes way too short to live any other way!

Much love! :)
Laura