Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive (wicked) way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23–24

When was the last time you dedicated time to searching your heart for offense and wickedness? What might happen if we made this a regular practice? If you’re ready to do a little (or perhaps a lot of) soul searching, read on.

Sometimes our anxious thoughts are rooted in an unforgiving heart. When we hold on to resentment, bitterness, or anger toward someone who has hurt us, we carry a burden that God never intended us to bear.

Jesus had some particularly strong words about forgiveness:

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:14–15

Did you notice verse 15? Those are powerful words. I cannot bear the thought of living without God’s forgiveness. Can you? Are there situations in your life that seem unfair? People who have hurt you? Circumstances over which you had no control? Of course. We all have them. Some wounds are deep, and some injustices are very real. Forgiveness doesn’t mean pretending the hurt never happened or excusing someone’s actions. It means refusing to allow that hurt to take up permanent residence in our hearts.

So what should we do?

Give it to God! Let Him have control of all that happens to us, against us, for us, and even without us. Ask Him to make you aware of any anger, bitterness, resentment, or envy you may be harboring toward another person. Be willing to let Him uncover even those things you would rather leave hidden.

Only when we surrender that burden to Him can we begin to move forward in forgiveness and freedom.

And perhaps we should make David’s prayer our own:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

Lord, search my heart. Show me what needs to change. Give me the courage to surrender what I have been holding onto and the grace to forgive as You have forgiven me. Lead me in Your everlasting way. Amen.

I am joining a great group of Christian writers at 5-Minute Friday. We write for 5 minutes each Friday (sometimes longer). You can read the other writers’ posts and share your own here: https://fiveminutefriday.com