The Madness of Unforgiveness: Bless Those Who Curse You
- David and Marilynn Chadwick
- Mar 11
- 2 min read
by David Chadwick
Choosing not to forgive will only leave you captive.
Today, I want to talk about what it looks like to bless those who curse you. It is one of the clear commands Jesus gave to his followers in Luke 6:38.
Let’s be really honest with one another for a moment. Our flesh really does not enjoy blessing those who hurt us, does it? Especially when the pain comes with words that curse us and leave us in a swirl of despairing thoughts.
Human nature is bent toward retaliation. But the problem with retaliating is that if we strike back harder toward someone in revenge, they will inevitably strike back a bit harder toward us. Then we will want to retaliate even more. The conflict will continue to escalate with no end in sight.
As Gandhi once said, if you live with the mentality of “‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ eventually the entire world will be blind and toothless!”
How do we bless those who have cursed us? Let’s go back and look at Luke 6:38.
First, choose to bless people with your words. Refuse to slander them to another person. Slander is an attempt to use words to punish someone for the pain they caused you. Said another way, it’s a way of you seeking vengeance.
Secondly, pray for them. How do you pray? I think if they are truly wicked, pray for their salvation. We should not desire for anyone to go to hell. Pray for them to come to grips with their sin and to repent. The greatest blessing would be for them to encounter Jesus. Clearly their hearts are full of evil. Ask God to bless them with wisdom. With knowledge. With understanding. With the same conviction that made you realize you needed Jesus at one point.
Your prayer may look something like this: “Bless this person who hurt me, Lord. You know what he/she needs. I trust that you know best. I release him/her to you and will not carry any hate in my heart. Unforgiveness will destroy my heart and soul. I give this situation to you. You are God, I am not. Heal him/her. Set him/her free. Heal me. Set me free.”
This may feel so unnatural at first, but keep trying! You must rely on the Holy Spirit inside of you in order to accomplish this mandate of the Christian faith. A Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life is the only way to walk out these hard mandates. But you CAN do it! Step out in faith and try it. You may be surprised at the results!