Winning Wisdom: Bitterness

Topic: Bitterness [Thursday, 30th March 2017]

If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day...Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Ephesians 4:26, 31 GNB

Picture this: You got bitten by a mosquito and you tried to kill it by hitting that part of your body so hard. Then, that spot starts itching and you scratched it so much it became a sore. It was so bad that when the sore eventually healed, it left your body scarred. You see, that's how bitterness is. It is a sore that results from us scratching spots in our lives where we have been angered (bitten). We can say, bitterness is the outcome of prolonged or sustained anger.

Besides its psychological implications of hatred, depression, frustration and possibly suicide, medical findings have also proven that bitterness can cause sicknesses and diseases such as cancer and even stroke. Like we scratch our skins to sore, bitter people are always hurting themselves while the one who offended them may or may not even know it. And, unlike anger that may be out to correct the one who caused it, bitterness is always looking out for the most devilish time and opportunity to avenge, even if it would take years: Absalom took two long years of his embittered heart to avenge his sister, Tamar (2 Samuel 13).

God warns us against letting anger linger in our hearts because it could 'advance' to bitterness which is sinful (Eph. 4:26). And, to help us out, He asks us to put it away and replace it with kindness and forgiveness just as He, because of Christ, has done to us (Eph. 4:31-32). Now, doing that is not as easy as it appears but it is possible by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Keep winning daily.

Wise Action:

If you still feel bitter towards someone, do these:
1. Ask God to forgive you for being bitter.
2. Ask God to help you forgive the one you're bitter towards.
3. Seek Godly counsel.

By Samuel A-men Abidoye