Forget It!

One day as Dick was passing a none-too-popular neighbor's house a little, yapping, pint-size dog
rushed out of the bushes and nipped his leg. The skin wasn't broken, and the dog was perfectly well; but every time Dick passed that house afterward he planned some way to "get" the dog for snapping at him. Hatred began to grow in Dick.

Later as he was riding his bike he spied the dog on the street. Dick tried to hit the animal with his front wheel. He hit a loose stone instead, blew out his tire against the curb and skinned his knee. He was so consumed with "getting even" with the dog that he lost his balance.

When we start out to get revenge on a person or an animal we do and say things all out of proportion to the importance of the reason. Anger makes us do and say things that we would not ordinarily allow ourselves to do or say. This feeling gets to be a kind of disease and, if given enough opportunity, it can even make us ill.

It only seems natural to resent it when someone does or says something to us that hurts. Our first thought is to fight back in some way. Pretty soon we become so occupied with thoughts of revenge that we miss most of the good things in life. We also lose precious moments while nursing a grudge. Misery is an expensive sickness.

There is not enough time for us to do all the things we have to do and want to do, and at the same time carry hatred and thoughts of revenge in us. They not only gnaw away at us inwardly, but they shut us off from God's love. Nothing is that important. What do we do about these things, then? Forget them. Fill your mind with thoughts of nice things and love instead of hate. Ask God to give you something nice to recall when you get angry again.