I Resent That
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:5
Love…is not resentful…
This is a case where other translations do a better job with a word or phrase. Some have this as, “Love…keeps no record of wrongs.” “Resentful” is fine too because it describes the spirit a person has that would cause them to keep a record of wrongs. Maybe we can think of them as the root and fruit. The root is a spirit of resentment, and the fruit is keeping a record of wrongs.
Either way, this is not the way of love. You might know someone quick to bring up past offenses when some new problem arises. They have a list tucked away in the back of their mind about whatever it is they believe you are guilty of, and they can quickly give you a rundown of what that list includes.
Love requires us to put aside our resentments and tear up our wrongdoing records. We are human, and there may be things that others have done that are impossible to erase from our minds. Further, it is wise, in some cases, to be cautious around certain types of people. We are not being asked to unnecessarily put ourselves or our loved ones at risk. Paul isn’t making a blanket statement that he wants us to carry out to foolish extremes.
What he is doing is giving us a principle of how love functions in the heart of a believer. And one of the things that love does is it frees us from having to carry the burden of keeping track of every wrong ever done to us. We can forgive and forget by the grace of God. We should always have the attitude of Christ who prayed, “Father, forgive them…” because that is what love does.
