Me: Lord help me stay focused on you today!

Prodigal: Amen!

This is from the book In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado

Oh, the gradual grasp of hatred. Its damage begins like the crack in my windshield. Thanks to a speeding truck on a gravel road, my window was chipped. With time the nick became a crack, and the crack became a winding tributary. Soon the windshield was a spider web of fragments. I couldn’t drive my car without thinking of the jerk who drove too fast. Though I’ve never seen him, I could describe him. He is some deadbeat bum who cheats on his wife, drives with a six-pack on the seat, and keeps the television so loud that neighbors can’t sleep. His carelessness blocked my vision. (Didn’t do much for my view out the windshield either.)

Ever heard the expression “blind rage”?

Let me be very clear. Hatred will sour your outlook and break your back. The load of bitterness is simply too heavy. Your knees will buckle under the strain, and your heart will break beneath the weight. The mountain before you is steep enough without the heaviness of hatred on your back. The wisest choice–the only choice–is for you to drop the anger. You will never be called upon to give anyone more grace than God has already given you.

Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter.

PSALM 45 : 6

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org