Bait Shop Wall 6 – Spitting the Hook
I sometimes wonder if in the bottom of a pond there is a tavern where fish go at the end of the day. Can you imagine what it would be like if there was a tavern at the bottom of the pond? Fish sitting there with drinks and telling stories. The bass on the right looks at the perch and says, “The hook was in my mouth, I was barely able to spit it out and escape!!!” The perch think takes a long drink and turns to the bass and tells him, “I was in the boat, in the boat. For some reason the guy looked at me and tossed me back.” “Bar tender two more shots this way!!!” How many fish actually swim around telling the stories of spitting hooks and living to chase another worm.
I know you’re probably thinking what in the world do these drinking fish have to do with me? Well those fish get hooked and then they end up in a boat and then they for a few brief moments they regret biting that hook. Some are lucky and the hook gets spit or the line breaks and they live for another day. I just wonder how it is when we can get hooked by someone else’s actions. How do we keep from becoming bitter and resentful?
We Can All Get Hooked By Our Hurts
Jesus warned us that we will all eventually be hurt or disappointed by people. “People will hate you, shut you out, insult you, and say you are evil because you follow the Son of Man. But when they do, you will be happy. Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.” Luke 6:22-23 (NCV) He simply lays out the idea that we should not really be surprised when people do something to us. I am amazed at myself when I get blindsided or feel shocked when you hear something was said or done to me. When we remember that people can hurt us, we can build up some tough skin and not be so quick to get offended. Just don’t be surprised when pain comes your way.
When Peter Asks the Question for Us
One day Peter came to Jesus and asks him about this whole forgiving and forgetting thing. Peter basically wanted to know if he had to swallow this hook or could he spit it out. Here is Jesus answer from the book of Matthew Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?“ Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he does wrong to you seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22 (NCV)
If you do the math you might be thinking sweet only 77 times and I’m good to not forgive. Problem is that if you keep score you will still end up on the bait store wall of grudges. Jesus tells us we need to let go of grudges, forgive and not hold onto the offense. It doesn’t matter if it is a permanent scar or just a small slight it will grow the longer we hold on and nurse it. So it is better to let it go. I really wish it was as easy to do as it is to talk about.
Let God Set the Hook in Them
This whole forgiveness thing is an extremely deep sea of choices and tough decisions we have to make. Paul talked about something that will make us stop and take a breath when the desire to strike back starts luring us in. “If someone does wrong to you, do not pay him back by doing wrong to him. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. Do your best to live in peace with everyone. My friends, do not try to punish others when they wrong you, but wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: “I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them,“ says the Lord. But you should do this: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head.“ Do not let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good.” Romans 12:17-21 (NCV)
God’s idea about this forgiveness and spitting hooks is to let him take care of things. He says to not get even or try to get even. Because you can never get ahead or even, if you retaliate you will end up further behind than when you started. God wants us to be at peace with others. We need to let go of offenses because it is a better for your own soul. God even encourages us to take care of people who do not take care of us. To serve someone you consider an enemy is hard to make happen and to live with at times. But if we go the extra mile for anyone then it will come back to us eventually. Plus, you have to read those verses it says that when we do good to others that are not good to us, we are just adding to their misery so to speak. It is like a win-win for us. We don’t carry the weight of a grudge and maybe they begin to understand the error of their ways with God’s help.
We are Never More Like God Than We Forgive
God calls us to be like him. Now the good thing is that if you are not a Christian then you totally don’t have to do any of this. You can hold onto a grudge and not face any eternal consequences with God. But if you are a believer you need to understand that we are more like God when we forgive than any other time. In a letter to early believers Paul writes, “Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:31-32 (NCV)
Paul is not suggesting we do this, it is not like he is saying this might be a good idea, or I was thinking… He says “do not be…” any of the things he listed. Because he knew that makes us very unattractive people. Who likes a bitter, angry, mad, hurtful loudmouth? No one does that is for sure. So He says don’t do that so that our lives will be marked by kindness and forgiveness more than anything. When we forgive each other we walk the steps of God on the day that Jesus gave his life so that we could be forgiven. God does not hold grudges, no matter what you may have heard. When he forgives he doesn’t bring it up later, he lets it go and so should we.
I know this all sounds like a deep river to cross, but it is what we are called to do. To forgive is divine, someone said that once and it is true. So the question becomes how do I forgive and spit the hook of the grudge. Besides, no one wants to see a fish with a frown hanging on a wall. You will be able to swim freer and easier if you lose the weight of a grudge. It all starts with a decision to let go of the weight and hook that can put you on the wall of the bait store wall. Forgiveness is a journey that starts with a decision to not imprison yourself in a picture that can be immortalized forever.