Grudges: A Breeding Ground for Spiritual Parasites!

Parasites dwell inside living beings, feasting on the nutrients of the host’s body. Far worse, our minds can breed parasites that destroy our spiritual life.

Physical parasites can cause deadly diseases in humans, but worse are the spiritual parasites that pull us away from God.

Vengeance is a particularly nasty spiritual parasite. It does a great deal of damage and often starts as a seemingly harmless grudge.

The Dinah incident

Genesis tells the tragic story of Dinah, a young girl violated by a man named Shechem (Genesis 34:2). This event caused immense pain and grief throughout Jacob’s household. How immense was the heartbreak of a father at the news of his daughter’s violation?

When Shechem returned to ask for Dinah’s hand in marriage, Dinah’s brothers tricked him. They said they would only allow it if Shechem and his people were circumcised (verses 11-17).

Simeon and Levi were filled with rage and harbored an intense grudge against Shechem and his family. They waited till Shechem and his people were in pain from the circumcision, then they raided Shechem’s city and killed all the men, plundering the livestock and taking the women (verses 25-29). Their anger drove them to murder, theft and kidnapping.

Did their internal rationalization justify their sins in their own minds? Did they decide that there was no wrong in avenging Dinah’s lost virtue? Did they honestly believe Shechem and his people’s fate to be fair?

The cost of parasites

Dwelling on grudges and anger can lead to a strong desire for vengeance. But God says, “Do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

Vengeance destroys us from the inside. Have you ever thought that someone deserved something bad to happen to them because of something they did to you? Have you ever felt the desire to get back at someone for something they’ve done? These are feelings we must fight, because we are to “repay no one evil for evil” but rather “have regard for good things in the sight of all men” (Romans 12:17).

When we’re offended by someone, we tend to lash out with sharp words or harsh behavior rather than treat them with kindness and respond with grace. Sometimes we even convince ourselves that holding a grudge is completely justifiable. But this kind of anger is wrong. This anger helps the parasite of vengeance grow.

Simeon and Levi gave in to the parasite that was growing in their minds. They became infested with anger. A little grudge can turn into a giant stumbling block that pulls us away from God so much faster than we realize. So how do we avoid these parasites?

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is hard. And yet God wants us to grow in this characteristic of His nature (Matthew 18:21-22).

Colossians 3:13 explains why we are to forgive: because God forgives us. We’re told to follow Christ’s example, to strive to be like Him—and He has the most forgiving heart of all (1 Peter 2:21-24)!

We all make mistakes, and we all hope to be forgiven. How can we expect forgiveness from others if we never forgive those who have wronged us? Forgiveness isn’t easy, but with God’s help it also isn’t impossible (Matthew 19:26).

When we look at ourselves, are we kind and gracious like Jesus Christ or vicious and angry like Simeon and Levi? Are we breeding parasites or are we striving to be as forgiving as Christ?

To learn more about practicing forgiveness, read “How to Forgive” and “Grudges.”