Don’t secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt. (Leviticus 19:17 MSG) Some of us are carrying grudges and are being passive aggressive to people because for some reason we are holding our tongue from saying what is truly on our minds. I’m not talking about holding our tongues when we know the only things that would come our are venomous insults and curses. I’m talking about holding our tongue when we were unrighteously wronged and then then using that as a source of hatred and anger. We do this thinking that this is the moral high road–to eat “it” ourselves and pretend nothing is wrong while acting subconsciously sideways and crooked toward those people. Trust me, this isn’t about you, it’s about us. I am in no way pointing fingers at you because I am equally guilty of this. I say nothing even when I am trampled or blamed for things and events that I have no fault in. Then slowly and steadily because I say nothing, I will allow a grudge to develop, a callousness, a hatred toward that person because I wouldn’t get it out there in the air. This is how and why we start feuds; how rifts in friendships begin; how relationships fall apart, isn’t it? Now, don’t use this as an excuse to go tell each and every person off for hurting you or messing you up. Nor should you use this as avenue to start openly attacking the people who did you wrong. Don’t even think that for a hot second. No, you shouldn’t. Rather, what we are being instructed to do when we are told to get it out there in the open is to speak with our “neighbors” very frankly or in a reconciliatory way. It’s the last thing you want to do considering you hate his or her or their guts; but there is a reason to go about it this way. I know it’s not as refreshing as taking your fists and putting it through the other person’s face. But the purpose isn’t so you feel better. Rather, we get things out in the open so that we can “love our neighbors as ourselves” (Leviticus 19:18b). Get it all out in the open and don’t secretly hate your neighbors. It’s a lot less stress to deal with and much less guilt to bear. Let’s really love our neighbors.