How to Overcome Bitterness

For years I have struggled with the root of bitterness. Growing up in an unhealthy environment I often resented my parents for all that they had put me through. Although I felt that I had a reason to hate them there is never a good enough reason to hold resentment or bitterness against anyone because ultimately like Joyce Meyers says you are drinking straight poison.

Bitterness after awhile begins to take control and you know that there is something wrong with you that there is a reason why you can’t feel and or love God, but sometimes you do not even know why. How easy and how common is it to become bitter? Well I think scripture can answer us on this one. Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and DEFILE MANY.” I believe that many people fall easily into the root of bitterness and when we are bitter we feel like we are in the right.

Last year when my friend James pointed out that I had to love my mother I thought to myself she does not deserve it. For me to love a woman I hated and resented since the days she started hurting me both physically and emotionally was nothing that the world would have taught or expected me to do. We are taught to get even but as we are getting even we are weakening our soul and our spirit. Trust me at that time in my life I hated my life and I could not love anyone. But as I cleared out my closet of hatred I noticed that I felt better, more free and for the first time in a long time I began to love God and love others because I realized that love was genuine. I even began to love my mother and the miracle and the freedom that it caused me makes me want to speak to anyone about the unawareness and sickness of bitterness..

Bitterness causes its victims to be an easy target and to be used in wrong ways. We will speak evil against others and we will be captive to sin. Acts 8:23 states “For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin” and Romans 3:14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." Not only are we hurting the ones that we would love if given the chance which is our family and friends by speaking evil against them we are hurting ourselves. We are bonded to wickedness and jealousy. Even though we are believers or unbelievers we are walking advertisements for destruction.

So how do we get rid of the root of bitterness when we realize that it is there? We admit it to the Lord and he casts our sin behind us. A good verse that demonstrates God’s power in removing bitterness is Isaiah 38:17 New American Standard Bible (©1995) "Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.” When I turned to God about my bitterness with my mother and finally opened up myself to doing so I was freed. It took a lot of time, correction and courage to get out of the pit that I had dug myself into but God led me into green pastures, into his rest. The first three verses of Psalm 23 show what I experienced after letting go of bitterness with my mother and other times that I had held onto it.
1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

How many of us fall into losing God’s grace and love and redemption by turning our eyes to the wrongs someone has done to us. Yes people fail us yes people are wrong at times but so are we if we hold onto the root of bitterness. Jesus never said it would be easy to love your neighbor as thyself but he did say that he would restore and recharge our souls. Jesus is the way the truth and the life, and there is nothing that will ever again separate me from the love he offers me. I will not take hold to bitterness and strife but take hold to the one that can make it all better with a touch of his wonderful and holy hand. Our creator is more powerful then we can think or even imagine I pray and hope that you can experience the same freedom that I experience with Him each and every day. Each day is a new chance so I hope that today will be your second chance to experience Gods restoration and forgiveness.