If you feel yourself wrestling with bitterness then focus more intently on our glorious God. We need to be less “feelings-centered” and more Christ-centered. Savor the providence of God. He is in control of all things and he is perfectly just and cannot be unjust. Bitterness begins when we have been treated unfairly. But, if we believe at the depths of our being that God will make sure that justice is accomplished, and if we are simultaneously confident that God is working all things together for our good, if that is our center, then we will beat the stuffings out of bitterness every time.
I hope this way of beating bitterness works for some people – because I know that for a lot of people, they appreciate the fact that they cannot comprehend the will or power of god, and to assume that God is working all things together for our good is insulting to our creator. How can we assume that we know our God like that?
Perhaps we could use the strength God gave us – and use it to battle bitterness. Use our powerful brains he blessed us with to reason the benefits of letting go of pain and bitterness. I don’t think God would have created creatures with such powerful and vast brains if He would have wanted us to simply had everything over to Him. Perhaps we should step up, rationalize, think, and let go of bitterness because it’s the smart thing to do. I think God gave us WILL so we can make choices like that.
Just a thought. 🙂
Wow, you are a thinker.
I agree that we need to use our powerful brains to battle bitterness. So, I am with you there. But, I do not think this is in tension with trusting God.
And, I don’t think it works for people to simply let go of things because it is the smart thing to do. We have a standard of justice written on our hearts such that we deeply want the right to be done.
I know very few people who think bitterness is the smart thing to do. Yet, they are losing the battle with bitterness.
Thanks for your thoughts.