“Keep a sharp
eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a
whole garden in no time.” Hebrews 12:15 The Message
For many years, I have loved gardening. With apartment living, this is one thing I
greatly miss. It is so satisfying to
work in the dirt and then be able to provide food for your family. However in order to have a successful garden
it is important to keep a watchful eye on weeds. I can remember taking an extended weekend
only to come back to find weeds had popped up and were endangering my precious
plants.
As with the weeds in my garden, bitterness quickly
crept into my life, early during my Sabbatical.
I did not keep a watchful eye on it.
Its roots ran deeper than I had realized. Unfortunately many do not understand the full power
and deception of bitterness. For it does
not soothe, nor does it make things better.
Satan has many weapons in his arsenal and bitterness is a mighty
one. Today I will briefly share about
some of the effects of bitterness. Then
in my next post, I will share steps on how to overcome bitterness.
Bitterness is a weed that can quickly grow out of
control. It will wreak havoc if left
unattended. If you have ever pulled weeds out of a garden, you understand that
the roots go very deep. These roots are
what choke out plants. Bitterness has
deep roots that will choke out joy in your life. As I allowed bitterness into my life, it
ruined my joy. I allowed the offense to
become my main focus, which pushed my joy out of the way. It was ever before me, from when I woke up to
when I went to bed. It was like having spots on your glasses that stay, in your
line of vision, no matter where you turn your eyes.
Weeds also bring a certain level of toxicity to the
ground as it absorbs all of the cherished nutrients. Bitterness will bring toxicity into your relationships. As I struggled with bitterness, it began to
affect my closest relationships.
It will become draining on those closest to
you.
Bitterness will affect all of your relationships,
including your walk with the Lord. Ultimately
I began to question why God allowed this offense to happen, as well as why He
didn’t make things right. It led me to
question God’s goodness and His sovereignty.
I was so upset with God that I stayed away from church for a few
months. In the previous twenty two years
of following the Lord, I had only missed a handful of Sundays and church
services. Bitterness even led me to not pick
up my Bible for several weeks. Unfortunately
bitterness drove me away from the Father.
If you’re allowing an offense to fester, just know
bitterness has begun to lengthen its’ roots into your life. It goes much deeper than what you see on the
surface. I would be glad to talk with
you further about your struggle with bitterness. My email address is pastorjabo@gmail.com. I look forward to you reading about the Lord
gently restoring me and helping me work through my bitterness.
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