“See to it that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:15

Picture your heart as a container that holds your emotions, experiences, and pain. Just like any container, there’s a limit to how much it can hold. When our hearts become filled with unresolved bitterness, there is no space for healing. I believe that there are times in our lives that we need to empty that container so refreshing times can impact our lives.

Think about this, any unresolved hurts and memories will turn into bitterness that makes our lives toxic and contaminated. Bitterness forces us to fixate on blaming those that inflicted the pain. The “blame game” simply assigns the blame, but it doesn’t bring the healing.

The greatest problem with the root is the fruit. The fruit of bitterness produces poisonous emotions, putrid thoughts, and percolating anger that slowly destroys our lives. We need to see the fruit as deadly to our destiny in God and dangerous to our dependence on God.

Moses knew how deadly bitterness was when dealing with the Children of Israel. In Deuteronomy 29:18 he warns them, “Beware lest there be among you a man or woman whose heart is turning away from the Lord…Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.”

Liability and responsibility are two different things, and understanding the difference is essential for healing bitterness. While you may not be liable for the situation, you’re always responsible for how you respond to it. The difference between liability and responsibility is obligation versus opportunity! Fact - responsibility should always overpower liability.

I have come to realize that blame points to the problem, but responsibility points to the solution. Responsibility goes beyond fault and helps us focus on the healing instead of the hurt. It’s about taking ownership of your healing journey, regardless of who is to blame - and there's plenty of that to ago around!

The secret to healing is to release your hurt and the need to retaliate so that it does not take root in your soul. And of course, forgive yourself! Life happens and you can’t turn the clock back to fix things the way you want to!

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Psalm 73:26

There are times in our lives when we need to recognize that God’s desire is for us to surrender our limited human strength and allow unlimited divine power to work in and through us!

It’s time to rename your pain.

So today, let's dig up that root of bitterness and trust God to do the replanting in our hearts with forgiveness and love!

God bless you,

Pastor Dave