By Chris WittsMonday 18 Nov 2024Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
I get the impression that many people today carry a chip on their shoulders. They have a deep bitterness that chews them up. It is quite a destructive thing to see. Do they realise the damage it’s doing not only to themselves, but to others as well? There’s a serious side to this topic. Research shows that bitter people can have higher blood pressure and higher heart rate and can be more likely to die of heart disease and other illnesses than other people.
So that should make us sit up and take notice. I think it’s better for your health to live free from bitterness. In a world full of struggle and disappointment, each one of us will wrestle with bitterness at one time or another. But if left unchecked, bitterness is a destructive poison that steals our joy and the joy of those around us.
What about those who have not dealt with an old hurt? And they look for things to criticise, people to find fault with and ways to justify the way they feel? Have you seen people who are hyper critical? Well, generally they are bitter people. Bitterness does not emerge out of thin air.
The damage of bitterness
Something or many things happen that cause you to feel bitter. It’s a mix between sadness and resentment. What are some of the results of a bitter spirit in our lives? Being a bitter person can wreak havoc. As I’ve said on your mental, emotional and physical health, and prolonged bitterness can even make you turn your back on your relationships and the people around you.
It’s the feeling of annoyance. You know, when you think someone has wronged you or humiliated you in public, that’s resentment – this desire to lash back at that person. Grudges – that persistent and cultivated feeling of ill will that results from a past insult or injury. And then there’s anger, this fierce displeasure that if we don’t check it, can grow into indignation, rage and fury.
We’ve all got some baggage from the past, some more than others. It’s part of life for each of us as we get older. Some of us carry unresolved issues forward, consciously or unconsciously, and these issues become the perfect breeding ground for bitterness and resentment. But it’s never too late to work through these feelings and let them go. The human brain is an interesting machine.
It’s got this natural tendency to remember negative experiences more vividly than positive ones, and so we accumulate good and bad experiences. Let’s make a determined effort to not dwell on the negative experiences. All they do is create a distorted reality which seems more painful or unfair than it truly is. And when we replay these negative experiences over and over, we get the feeling of bitterness and resentment. It’s like pouring salt in an open wound. It only prolongs the pain. Let’s focus more on the positives.
Some of us choose to hold on to the grudges that cultivate a garden, if you like, of bitterness and resentment. And this lack of forgiveness is not always about others. Sometimes it’s about not forgiving ourselves for past mistakes, opportunities or failures. It’s about acknowledging the pain and not letting it control our present or our future. It’s got the power to destroy us from within, so don’t go it alone. Not talking to anyone about how you feel is a bad thing.
Isolation feeds that bitterness that can really alter your personality and your faith in God. Talk to a close friend, someone that you know and trust and, if possible, your pastor or minister. Most important, pray – pray to overcome the bitterness. Pray to forgive. Understand that it can take a while when the hurt is deep. It’s important to never lose our relationship and connection with God, no matter what.
Bitterness is most certainly a dangerous emotion, and God wants us to be aware of this and to break free from the grasp. Listen to what the Bible says in Ephesians 4. Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful and forgive others. Just as God forgave you because of Christ – that’s verse 4:31-32.
So through God’s holy spirit, we can be different people with a love for others. Knowing that God alone is the judge.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, we confess those strong feelings of bitterness that suddenly come upon us from time to time. We may not even know where they’ve come from, but Lord, we realise they are destructive, and they won’t really do us any good. Give us the courage and grace to let go of bitter feelings. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.