Latest / Prayer Before Work / S01E14-Let It Go Before It Takes Root
Transcript
- Sean Graver: Well, good morning. I hope you've had a great day yesterday and I'm glad you're here today because we're going to focus on a very important subject. So before the day gets going, let's just take a minute, bring everything we're carrying right now to God, including the stuff from yesterday that maybe didn't get resolved. So today we're going to look at Ephesians, Ephesians 4, 31 and 32. And that reads, get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Now, that list at the start is worth repeating. Bitterness, rage, anger, malice. So the Apostle Paul lists them like he's seen them in the workplace. because he has and he doesn't say to manage them. He says, get rid of them. The standard is pretty high and the reason he gives is even higher. Forgive the way you've been forgiven. Now there's an interesting thing about unforgiveness at work and that is that it rarely looks like unforgiveness. When someone does something that offends us or hurts us at work, often that person will say something like, hey, no hard feelings, right? Or are we good? Now we usually say things like, yeah, no problem, or we're good, just to end the situation. But that is not forgiveness. leaving that alone like that, it takes root and it becomes bitterness. Now bitterness is exhausting to carry. It costs you far more than it costs them. And forgiveness at work doesn't mean that what happened was okay. It doesn't mean you don't address it or set boundaries. But it means that you make a decision not to let that person or that offense continue to be a debt that they owe you. Is there someone you need to release today? Not for their sake, but for yours. God, there may be people and situations I'm holding onto that I know I need to release. And if I'm honest, part of me may not want to. It feels like letting them off the hook. But help me to understand that forgiveness isn't about them. It's about me staying free. And help me to get rid of the bitterness before it gets rid of my joy, my focus, my effectiveness. So today I choose to forgive, not because I feel like it, but because you forgave me when I didn't deserve it either. That's the only reason I need. So help me walk into the day a little bit lighter than I walked into yesterday. In Jesus' amen. Now go make today count.