Grudges
By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
Wellington Burt was a rich man.
In the age of the robber barons, he had made a fortune. Wellington made his money through the lumber and iron industries. The strange thing that Wellington is known for, however, is not his massive wealth. It is the will that he left behind after he died in 1919.
His will gave a few very small yearly amounts between $1,000 and $5,000, except for one son who received $30,000 yearly. Apparently, he favored that son over the rest of his children. His will also gave equally small amounts to his cook, housekeeper, and chauffeur. The vast amount of his wealth, valued between 100 and 110 million dollars, was not to be distributed until 21 years after his last surviving grandchild’s death. It was a strange provision in his will — apparently because he had family conflict and didn’t want his children or even his grandchildren to have any real part of his money. So, in 2011, twelve of his descendants were finally able to divide up his estate.
No one really knows what exactly led to this strange will or even why he chose 21 years after his last surviving grandchild died before the funds could finally be distributed. Most surmise that because of the different family disputes, he just didn’t want anyone that he knew to get the money. It’s interesting that he would hold a grudge and still try to control things from the grave.
We shake our heads at such things. We must ask ourselves, though, what slights are we cherishing and refusing to let go of?
What may we be holding on to that someone has done to us that we just cannot forgive? Peter thought he was being generous and going above and beyond the teaching of his day when he suggested that we should forgive someone seven times. Jesus blew him and the people of His day out of the water when He said instead that we should forgive 490 times. Jesus wasn’t suggesting that we start a chart and, when we get to 490 times, we have forgiven someone enough. Instead, He was saying to be willing to keep forgiving (Matthew 18:22).
One of the true signs of a growing church is when growing Christians refuse to hold grudges and become a community of forgiveness. People and churches extend grace and mercy to one another because of their love for God and for their fellow man.
That is what Pentecost looked like in the Old Testament and what it can and should look like today. Let’s pray together for this to happen in our lives.
Let’s pray together for strength to forgive and wipe away all grudges that we might hold.