Cleansing My Heart

Today I'm getting a brand new heart.  :) After my posting yesterday I decided I really need to go in and wipe the slate clean. In Justin's Jesus, I say that the biggest thing I have learned about life through Justin's death is to forgive and forget, and like I have said before, while I thought I had done this, it came creeping back and I realized I need to do it again.  I had forgotten and forgave the big things, but what about the little ones?  The pain that people cause that they don't even know they have done.  I know I am just as guilty of this as the next person, in both being the one who hurts others and being the one who is hurt that holds it in until it festers.  Why do we do that?  If someone has hurt us unintentionally, (or even intentionally for that matter) why do we hold on to it?  It doesn't affect my day to day life, it doesn't make life any better, and the truth of the matter is all it REALLY does is puts bitterness into our hearts, it takes away our joy, and it makes us struggle with hope.  We do things that hurt Jesus everyday, whether we mean to or not, we still sin, we still hurt him though our actions, and with our words, and yet we ask for forgiveness and our slate is wiped clean.  Why do I think I am better than that?  Do I think I have been hurt more than Jesus, who was betrayed, humilated, and killed, that I get to hold on to grudges and life's upsets, because I have been hurt?  Wow, probably not.  I think it's time for me to take a look at how Jesus handles his hurt...with an clean heart, and open arms.  So today that is exactly what I am doing.  My prayer today is that Jesus will take my heart, clean it, the way only he can, and give me a heart that doesn't resemble this one that I have battered with bittneress, and I know he will do it.  Today I am wiping the slate clean while Jesus gives me a heart as good as new, no more grudges, no more hurt, no more hard feelings, towards anyone, while this will be a struggle for me on those days that I don't focus on Jesus and sink into my human mind-set those icky feelings will come back I'm sure, but I'm making a vow to myself that when that happens I will turn back to Jesus and have him cleanse my heart again,  I will have to do this for the rest of my life I am sure, just as Jesus forgives me everyday.  It is not a struggle for Jesus.  So thank you Lord, for cleansing my heart.