Scrambled eggs & bacon with some wheat toast – that’s what I had for breakfast Friday morning on the 4th of July when I met my friend I hadn’t seen in – well, way too long. Two hours later, we gave the waitress a tip that amounted to what she’d likely have made in tips, had we not sat in her booth for as long as we did.
Sometimes though, you just gotta sit with a friend for a long, long time, and soak in all of the good stuff there is to share about the current joys in life, the hurts, and struggles, and yeah… struggles.
Did I mention the struggles?
God speaks in so many ways, but for me – and probably for you, too – He often speaks through the wisest, godliest people in our lives. So we sit for two hours and leave $20 tips. Trust me, it’s worth it. It’s always, always worth it.
Oh, I’m so grateful for my friend. We share a similar struggle, but from two completely different… not really perspectives, but… experiences. Yes, experiences – I think that’s the best way to put it.
Mine has, I’ll admit, caused me at times to become bitter, angry even. You see, things haven’t come to the conclusion that I wholeheartedly believe they ought to, but God has definitely provided me with plenty of times when He has helped change my “tude,” if you will. He is constantly reminding me that He will bring all things to His good conclusion in His good time (not mine).
But on Saturday He providentially brought my friend and I together over some scrambled eggs & bacon to help us both be sure not to allow any bitterness to take root. Andddd, perhaps to do something about the roots that are always there, ready and willing to creep in, grow deep, and stick around.
God has an awful lot to say about bitterness, and it’s not good.
And no one is unfamiliar with bitterness. No one. And I hate to tell you this – No, seriously, I hate to tell you this… but if you belong to the human race, you’re prone to unforgiveness, and you’re wired for bitterness. It’s just one more yucky thing that exists in all of us as a result of the fall. Darn it, Eve!
It’s easy to recognize bitterness in someone else, isn’t it? The person who can’t seem to speak nicely to you, the relative who can hardly control their disgust when you show up in the room, the people who do everything they can to make absolutely sure you’re not only excluded, but that you KNOW and FEEL that you’re excluded… That comes from someplace. It comes from a root of bitterness they’ve not only allowed to grow, but they’ve nurtured and watered and pruned, allowed to grow deep – real deep. And we all know what roots can do. They can break a foundation, wreck your plumbing, and cost you a fortune to fix.
Like I said – it’s easy peezy to recognize the bitterness in others. But what about the bitterness in us? Yeah, that takes a face plant, a truly repentant heart, and a willingness to be honest with God and allow Him to reveal it. And heal it.
Because after all, trying to get rid of that bitterness all by yourself, is like using Round-Up. Remember that stuff? It’s not on the shelf any longer, and there are a lot of people going through cancer treatment as a result of using that poison, filing law suits even – and our self-centered attempts at curing our bitterness without the Lord are exactly like using that cancer-causing product. Simply put – it doesn’t work. There’s only one thing that works. Remember the face plant? Yep. That.
Ephesians 4:31-32 says to let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice, and to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Can you even imagine how life-changing (and eternity-changing) it could be if your family members and friends saw a heart change in you that resulted in forgiving the person you’re carrying resentment, unforgiveness, and bitterness toward? (Can you imagine the burden it would lift in YOUR heart?)
Can I actually say, “I have let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice be put away from MY lips? Have I been kind to __(person I need to forgive)___, tenderhearted, forgiving, as CHRIST HAS FORGIVEN ME?
Can you? Can you say this?
Here’s the thing. Bitterness shows. You can’t hide it. You just can’t. And for those of us old enough to remember wearing slips under our dresses, it’s like that one slip that’s always way too long and just keeps showing, and random people keep on walking up to you and whispering in your ear, “Honey – your slip is showing.”
Well, if you’re letting your unforgiveness and bitterness grow deep roots in your heart – trust me, you can’t hide it. Everyone sees it in you, and this is an offense to God. It’s sin! So don’t wait. Consider this the whisper in your ear that your slip is showing – and so is your bitterness.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 1 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Colossians 3:12-13
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