“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Hebrews 12:15 NIV
Several years ago there was a beer commercial that claimed if you drank a certain brand of beer you could avoid "Bitter beer face." Bitter beer face happened when you drank beer that was bitter. In the commercial there was an old man who could contort his face in such a way he almost appeared as if he was wearing a mask (see above picture).
On a more serious note, bitterness in the human heart does more than harm our facial expressions, it is so serious it can lead to spiritual and emotional death.
What is this kind of bitterness? According to one noted Bible teacher:
In other words, bitterness has it's roots in disappointment and unforgiveness. People can be bitter with God or others, usually a combination of both.
How do people get bitter? People get bitter towards God because when things do not go our way or when He does not answer our prayers the way we had hoped. People get bitter towards others when people disappoint, hurt or offend us and we refuse to forgive them.
Weeds need to be pulled out by the roots. Sure, you can mow over the weeds in your yard and make it look better for a few days, but the weeds will be back. Unless a weed is de-rooted it will always grow back and in most cases stronger because the roots are stronger.
The only remedy to the root of bitterness in the human heart is to choose to forgive and walk in love. Something very helpful is to actually view the person you are bitter with as a tool in God's hands to make you more like Jesus. Walking in grace towards others is very difficult. That is why it is important to always remind yourself of how much God has forgiven you. Charles Stanley writes: "It is impossible for bitterness to grow in the soil of grace." The only way to have a heart filled with grace is to daily ponder the cross of Jesus and what He did for you. When we do this it is like putting spiritual weed and feed on our hearts.
If you would like to go deeper on the subject of bitterness you can listen to the podcast titled 'Bitterness". May God bless you with freedom from bitterness and the joy of having a forgiving heart.
