Severing Bitter Roots

Brothers and sisters, bitterness is something we all have experienced. Whether it is someone doing something unpleasant to us or we find unfair treatment in certain situations. It could be caused by all kinds of scenarios and people, but once the damage is done, the wound of bitterness can take a long time to truly heal. When not being dealt with, these wounds will become rooted and even if we use our own will to protect our hearts, trying to think positively, the bitterness in our hearts will grow to be like a sword, ready to attack or affect our perspective of things, our relationship with God and with others. Recently, I have been reading a few reports of cases in family feuds where someone is harmed by another family member out of a fit of anger, but later, there were regrets, guilt, shame and of course, a grave consequence to face for their actions by the law. Of course, we might not be at that extreme state, but there is a leading power and influence in unresolved bitterness.

Do Not Delay The Treatment

So when it comes to this, we have to deal with it as soon as we can. The thing about bitterness is that it ties in closely with anger, and it easily takes control of our hearts, making us gradually and chronically unable to love or forgive. And this not only affects our emotions, we will also eventually receive judgment ourselves. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:15, “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” So let us not ignore the warning, but recognise the urgency to nail our bitterness at its roots. If our Lord Jesus has forgiven us, why don’t we too quiet down and recall the immense grace God’s hands has upon us to help us battle sin’s bondages? Brothers and sisters, let us not be our own judge but give way to step back first and trust God to work in His time and plans. As the Lord says Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” And with this, can’t God, through all the areas you have been wronged and where your faith is tested, turn them into blessed evidences for you? So in this light, we have to see the need to deal with our inner bitterness as soon as we can, lest it becomes a stumbling block in our living.

The Feeling Of Bitterness

But many, including myself, will tend to ask God, when will the feeling of bitterness go away? Firstly, when we recognise the sting of bitterness and is willing to come before God to receive healing, we definitely are on the right track. Let us first read Hebrews 12:14-15 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” To want to leave our bitterness behind is a good start, but the reason we want to do it is also important. Often, we want to rid our bitter roots because we don’t want to be bounded, to keep dwelling in unhappiness but not so much of wanting to live before God’s love or to abide by God’s ways of living. But we have to see that the first reason is has a short term motivation, while the latter sustains. The thing is, bitterness is an emotional response and thus, something that is out of our control. So what we should do instead, is to wrestle with whatever makes our hearts lose a sense of thanksgiving, and not be manipulated by deceptions. If we keep thinking about the cause and effect of our bitterness, our hearts will surely feel imbalanced from time to time. Therefore, it is important to bring our hearts and minds to the truth, so that we can be guided by the Word and be pulled out from our foolish and negative thoughts. Let us not be carried away by our feelings but restore the truth from God’s promises, to keep refining and sanctifying our living system of thoughts and feelings. That is the best treatment.

Treated from the Roots

And now to really deal with our bitterness, it has to be dealt with at its roots. What is the root of bitterness? Where does bitterness originate from? In Deuteronomy 29:18-19, “Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.”  Now, the root of bitterness actually comes when we have a wrong understanding of where our eternal hope lies in, or any other areas that we have turned from God’s way. Men often think that we are alright as long as we are living peacefully, without big problems, but the fact is, we are originally living in darkness. We will often misinterpret God’s promises, taking things lightly. That is why in the verses we read earlier in Hebrews, it is trying to help the disciples see areas of their heart that could be falling away and to grow in them a humble, devoted and sanctified faith. It is a caution, not to forgo the importance of holiness, and not to take grace for granted. The root of bitterness is the erroneous teachings or principles we have that encourages people to act according to their desires, underestimating God’s wrath and the freely given blessings from the Lord. From there, people will pursue lesser and lesser of a faith that wrestles with their inclinations and the vigilance of leading a life in pursuit of holiness in Christ. This in turn, will also stumble the people around, just like how Saul has let loose, not wanting to repent before the Lord and cannot find true and eternal life.

Brothers and sisters, we must be waken to see that the root of bitterness permits hate, revenge, jealousy, and anger to manifest within us, telling us to ignore the signs of the fruits we bear from bitterness, and be held captive by its manipulating power over our hearts. But by the precious blood of Christ, forgiveness is available and accessible. Yes, the love, understanding and trust between people requires time to rebuilt, but this is not everything. Because the freedom and hope we receive is not from men. We can live today and is able to do all the things we can, solely because of God’s grace. Therefore as Matthew 10:8 says, “Freely you have received; freely give.” May the knots of bitterness in our hearts be untied gradually, by the forgiveness, love and truth we keep receiving from the Lord. God bless.