The Root of Bitterness

“Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” Hebrews‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭

Hello, glad to come your way again. I hope you are marching forward in the month of March?

Today, I want us to look at the subject on bitterness. From this passage of scripture, I want to draw our minds to some truths.

1. Bitterness starts as a root.

2. Bitterness affects (troubles) you.

3. Bitterness is a contagion- defiles many.

4. Bitterness grows!

5. Bitterness affects you receiving the grace of God. Grace has a very broad meaning. In this context, it means kindness.

I believe one of the things that can hold us back from progressing in this month, is bitterness. So, what is it? It is extreme wickedness. The origin of the name is from the contents of our gall bladder or bile which is known to be very bitter.

How does one become bitter? It comes from unresolved hurt. Any hurt we refuse to deal with gradually disintegrates into bitterness. Let me give you a typical example of such a case in the Bible.

“Esau, hearing his father’s words, sobbed violently and most bitterly, and cried to his father, “My father! Can’t you also bless me?”

Esau seethed in anger against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him; he brooded, “The time for mourning my father’s death is close. And then I’ll kill my brother Jacob.”” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭27:34, 41‬ ‭

Esau became hurt at his brother’s trickery in taking his birthright, which was his father’s blessing. In the Jewish context, first born sons had a privilege called the birthright which was a blessing spoken over by the father. It was believed such words of empowerment could cause one to prosper and affect one’s destiny.

Bitterness shows in one’s speaking. It is not rocket science to detect it. Sometimes, you point out to people, they are bitter and they will say, “oh no! Me?!” The funny thing is, speech is very indicative of your emotional state. A refusal to acknowledge you are hurt and also deal with it will plant a seed of bitterness in your heart which will grow and have deadly consequences. In Esau’s case, he thought of murdering his brother, Jacob.

How do we deal with bitterness? Understanding God’s love towards us and His forgiveness upon us will enable us to walk free from “this virus”.

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians‬ ‭4:31-32‬ ‭

You can only be kind when you understand God’s love toward you. It will result in being tender hearted and easily forgiving. I pray may we understand God’s love this month. It will help us progress in our human relations free of ill will and contempt towards one another.

May every root of bitterness be plucked out as we read this, because we will make a conscious decision to deal with our pain out of unresolved hurt, no matter how unpleasant it is. At least, it is the first step to recovery here.

God bless you all!

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Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love