That Beef Is Too Expensive — God Wants You to Put It Back

Have you ever held onto a grudge, replaying a hurtful moment over and over in your mind? I know I have. Recently, I found myself struggling with lingering resentment from a past workplace experience. A former coworker said something to me that really hurt, and though I’ve since moved on to a much better work environment, the pain still resurfaced in waves. Some days, I felt fine. Other days, I was flooded with anger, tempted to seek revenge or speak poorly about that person.

But then, I remembered a lesson from a conference I attended a few weeks ago. One of the speakers shared a deeply personal story about forgiving his father for something painful from his childhood. He had carried that pain for years, but when he finally forgave his father, he realized that forgiveness wasn’t really about his father — it was about freeing himself.

That message hit me hard. So often, we hold onto grudges because we think forgiving someone means letting them off the hook. We feel like if we forgive, we’re somehow saying that what they did was okay. But in reality, forgiveness is less about the other person and more about setting ourselves free.

While I was dwelling on past hurt, my former coworker had likely moved on with their life. Meanwhile, I was carrying unnecessary emotional baggage. Forgiving doesn’t mean rekindling a friendship or pretending nothing happened. It simply means releasing the burden so we can move forward in peace.

I was reminded of Matthew 18:22, where Jesus tells us to forgive “seventy times seven.” God forgives us daily, despite our imperfections. Imagine if He judged us the way we judge others! If we truly embraced forgiveness, our world would be a much more compassionate place.

I also realized that people act based on their own experiences, struggles, and stress. Maybe my former coworker reacted from a place of pain I knew nothing about. While I wouldn’t have said those words to someone else, that doesn’t mean everyone operates the same way. Understanding that people handle stress and emotions differently has helped me grow in empathy.

Ultimately, when we hold onto grudges, the only person who suffers is us. Instead of carrying bitterness, I’ve learned to take my pain to God in prayer. Every time resentment creeps in, I ask Him to remove those feelings and replace them with peace. I know that with time and prayer, I will continue to heal — and maybe even look back on this experience with gratitude for how it helped me grow.

If you’ve ever struggled with forgiving someone, I encourage you to pray about it. Let’s support each other — share your stories in the comments so we can lift each other up in prayer. And if this message spoke to you, please like, comment, and subscribe. Stay blessed, keep growing in faith, and I’ll see you in the next one!