Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Bitterness.  What do you think of when you see or hear that word? 

For me, it’s a term I usually see associated with people who feel like they’ve been cheated in life, are lonely and miserable, or were hurt and never recovered from the offense. It’s definitely not a term anyone I know wants to be associated with -probably because the term carries with it some degree of emotional and spiritual immaturity.  

But there’s real pain underneath bitterness that I think deserves compassion. And everyone is susceptible to it – both men and women, young and old.  Because sometimes life doesn’t seem fair.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

I mean, what if you were rejected by every romantic prospect you’ve ever had while all of your friends ended up happily married?  Or what if you’ve experienced multiple traumas since childhood and you can’t figure out why it had to happen to you?

Is it necessarily wrong to feel sad, lonely, bitter, or a little jealous?

 I mean, does God expect us to be bionic human beings, impervious to negative emotions when life serves it’s blows?

I don’t think He does.  After all, He built us to experience a wide range of emotions. The Bible says that even Jesus was troubled in His spirit when He learned that Judas, whom He loved and served, would betray Him.

But even though Jesus was troubled, He never became bitter. He understood that the offense was part of God’s will and that He was sent to earth to show humanity how to love everyone, even people who hurt us.

God wants our love to reign supreme over bitterness, anger, and hurt.

And He wants us to experience His love which is there for us no matter what. 

When we entertain anger, bitterness, disappointment, and unforgiveness for longer than we should, we lose our faithfulness and humility.  We forget that God doesn’t think the way we do. And that all things work together for the good of those called according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28).

Why settle into bitterness when God hasn’t finished writing your story? You have no idea what kinds of blessings God has in store for you!

And He wants us to let go of bitterness so that we can be blessings to others…

So the next time you feel the roots of bitterness springing up inside you, find something to be joyful about and keep your faith.  Look to God and pray for more understanding when life gets painful. Learn to accept His will and purpose for your life.

God rewards those who are faithful to Him, but He can’t do much for you when you decide to sit in bitterness.

Know that God hasn’t forgotten about you… no matter what your circumstance looks like.

Most importantly, put your focus on doing what God wants all of us to do: love and forgive everyone just like He loves and forgives you!

Sincerely,

Alexia