July 12, 2011

A Bitter Root
Theme of the week: Forgiving When You'd Rather Not Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Key Bible Verse: But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. (Mark 11:25) Dig Deeper: Matthew 5:38-41

How does our resolve to not forgive grow so strong? Anger, which often comes from hurt, nursed over time eventually forms into a root of bitterness that is difficult to unearth. It dwells with us for years and becomes normal, part of our emotional fabric. Such bitterness eats away at our joy and leaves us as aged and angry as Margaret.

Like Margaret's finger, there are some things that we have lost that will never come back. Holding on to the anger and remaining mad at the person who hurt us, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is not going to bring back what we lost, but it will add to what we have lost and steal more away from us.

If unintentional pain from others is hard to bear, those who have purposed to hurt, abuse, betray, or destroy us may seem impossible to endure. I'm sure that Margaret's sister didn't mean to hurt her. The accidental dismembering of Margaret's finger must have weighed on her conscience all of her growing-up years. But what could she do about it? Margaret's sister would love to hear the words "I forgive you" from her sister. If the circumstances were reversed, wouldn't Margaret want forgiveness?

—David Anderson in I Forgrace You

My Response: Do I know someone who shows signs of bitterness? How can I help them experience joy again?

Thought to Apply: Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host.—Maya Angelou (poet)

Copyright © 2011 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.