Grace or Bitterness

“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. ¹⁵ Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” Hebrews 12:14-15 NLT

            Constant forgiveness is a mindset. We live surrounded by others that could potentially hurt our heart. On a daily basis, there is a chance that someone will say or do something that just does not feel good and we will feel angry, sad, unappreciated, or hurt. Whether the injustice spoken is purposeful or not, we need to forgive.

            Why forgive?

            “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” (Hebrews 12:15 NLT)

The root of bitterness starts as a small seed. It is often planted by hurt. What makes the bitterness grow is tending to it by replaying the offense in our mind and feeling justified to stay upset and angry. Before we realized it the seed of bitterness grows into a thorn bush. Thankfully, God designed our hearts to stay healthy. When bitterness grows, we know something is wrong, we feel as though we should forgive. But if we resist- the thorn bush grows and “troubles” us. Freedom is hard to find, joy is a challenge, peace is stolen, and love is an effort instead of a reaction.

Sadly, this bitterness corrupts others. Our heart thorns prick us, but they also prick others. Our reactions are less patient, our peace is stolen, our love is masked by that deep seed of hurt- the thorn bush takes over.

            In order to rid our lives from this- We must uproot the bitterness just like we pull a thorn bush out of the ground. In prayer, we can ask God to uproot the bitterness in our hearts. Next, we must ask forgiveness for tending bitterness instead of love. In compassion, God gives us a clean heart. Next, we must ask His love to fill us, to grow in our hearts, to reside there. Daily, we can invite Him in to our relationships, reactions, feelings, and thoughts. Lastly, we must forgive constantly.

            To keep our hearts healthy -we must take inventories on what we are thinking about:

 Is there someone who hurt me that I need to forgive? (Is there anyone else?)  Am I angry at God? Am I angry at myself?

God,
I choose Your love. I ask You to uproot the bitterness in my heart with Your powerful love, In Jesus name. Take it all away. Remove any thorns of bitterness. Please remind me often how to keep my heart healthy. Each time that I remember an offense, remind me of Your love and forgiveness. Heal my heart with Your love, grace, and peace. In Jesus name


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