December 2017
When hurts are not dealt with God's way,
bitterness roots itself in our soul. Like the sapling that
refused to die, bitterness will continually spring up.
Bitterness Always Causes Trouble
to avoid hurt only multiply the pain to ourselves and
others.
When we harbor hurt perhaps for years it has
the capacity to drive our every decision, and sour our
every relationship. It will always make its presence
known. And we will regret it.
Bitterness Always Defiles Many
A bitter root in your heart will manifest itself in
troublesome attitudes, such as depression and
despair, anger and resentment, or fear and worry.
Your reactions may become typified by criticism,
slander, gossip, sulking, retaliation, or other caustic
behavior.
Nobody likes to get hurt, especially for the
second time. If a dog were to bite you, you would
probably do your best to never meet that dog again!
After being bitten by a painful experience, we
sometimes develop strategies and adjust our
behavior, thinking this will protect us from future
hurt. Repeated often enough, this habitual behavior
ingrains itself in our character. It becomes who we
are and what we do.
Are you the type of person who has to control
every situation? Do you frequently lash out in anger?
Are you manipulative? Have you become so over-
sensitive that others feel they must “walk on
eggshells” whenever they approach you? Do you
keep up a facade so others cannot really get close to
you, or know who you really are?
All these behaviors, and others, are methods we
sometimes develop to shield ourselves from further
hurt. As you can see, they are brimming with
destructive consequences. The very strategies we use
Bitterness cannot be quarantined. Like an
epidemic, it spreads. One bitter person has the
capacity to infect an entire classroom, corporation, or
congregation. Hurting people hurt people. Entire
families can be poisoned. Harbored hurts and
bitterness can literally be passed from one generation
to the next (Num 14:18). I once knew a very bitter
man. Upon investigation I discovered a wound in his
heart that was still festering after 40 years. His life
manifested all the fruit of a bitter root. It did not
surprise me when I witnessed his son and grandson
also carrying a bitter spirit. Could there be any
harsher judgment against the sin of bitterness than
being guilty of infecting the ones we love the most?
Bitterness will always spring up, always cause
trouble, and always defile many. You may think you
can hold on to your hurts and not be adversely
affected, but you are wrong. You cannot fathom how
a root of bitterness will influence your thoughts and
decisions, and your attitudes and actions.
Is it really worth holding on to your hurts? Is the
pain worth the price? How much of your life are you
willing to exchange simply to hold onto your hurt?
The Remedy for Harbored Hurt
So, where do you go from here? How do you
overcome the hurts you have been harboring? What
must you do to alleviate your bitterness and
neutralize the acidic effects it has left in your soul?
God has a wonderful plan for complete
freedom and healing. He can even give “beauty for
ashes” by using the pains of your past as a
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