Pushing at the Wrong Door

A Memorable Lesson on Forgiving Others

By T. Windahl

My husband, Pete, and I once belonged to a Bible study group where conflict arose between us and one of our teachers. This conflict began soon after we had agreed to take on the role of heading up the prayer ministry within the group.

More than burdened by this conflict, Pete met with our teacher for lunch to discuss the shocking and difficult situation that had arisen between us. Unfortunately, nothing was resolved over lunch. Nothing could be agreed upon, and the tension between us persisted. It hung over us like a cloud during our every interaction.

Unforgiveness within Pete and me eventually bore the fruit of bitterness. That bitterness eventually consumed our minds and our conversations. For weeks, we were angry, hurt, sad, and confused. The situation did not make any sense to us, and we remained stuck in the ugly bitterness.

A Sobering Lesson

One day, Pete and I were driving somewhere when we realized we needed to stop at a cash machine. So Pete drove to the nearest grocery store, and I waited in the car while he ran in to get the cash.

While waiting for Pete, I happened to notice a man with a young boy walking towards the store’s main doors.