“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it, many be defiled.” ( Hebrews 12:14-15 )

Roots Of Bitterness

Bitterness is like a misused dye, it colors how we look at life, and it stains every relationship. People who are bitter feel they have every right to their feelings and perspectives. Somebody did them wrong. They feel like victims because they are victims. God doesn’t promise protection from every hurt we experience, but He doesn’t want our anger and hurt to fester into bitterness and ruin every aspect of our lives. Bitter people look for a fight. They may say they don’t like them, but they actually thrive on the adrenaline produced by intense disagreements. God wants us to stop this process before it starts to pursue peace with all people. When they hurt us, we are to forgive them quickly. We need to watch out so that patterns of discrimination don’t steal our joy, sap our energy, and ruin our ability to represent God.

Bitterness is serious business. It’s cancer that can’t be tolerated, or it’ll kill us. And it’s contagious. You can alter your life by altering your attitude.