Bitterness Does Not Become You

There is only one way of victory over the bitterness and rage that comes naturally to us–to will what God wills brings peace. ~Amy Carmichael

Bitterness.

It’s a wheel lock. It’s a leaky pen. It’s the hard plastic packaging you bloody your fingers on every time.

It’s a jar you can’t open, a box you can’t reach, the bicycle in the driveway you trip over in your hurry.

It’s a chain cuffed to your ankle, bill collectors at the door, a snarly guard dog and a sinkhole at your feet.

And he knocks at the door, eyes full of sympathy, the guy with tools. A key, a pencil, some scissors, his own muscular hands, and long stretching arms. A hand to help you over, chain cutters and checkbook, dog treats and wood planks. Whatever you need to leave the land of bitterness and regret. Because you will never be whole unless you do.

Oh, he knows how badly you were wounded. He sees the tear-splattered trail of hurt that never seems to find a satisfying end. He remembers your shining hopes, shattered on that distant day. He tastes your disappointment, your longing for what might have been, what should be now, what can never be again.

He notices how bitterness has been your poorest friend.

Jesus offers his tool box. “Let it go.”

 Behind The Bitterness

“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When such a thing is threatened, your anger is absolute. Your anger is actually the way the idol keeps you in its service, in its chains. Therefore if you find that, despite all the efforts to forgive, your anger and bitterness cannot subside, you may need to look deeper and ask, ‘What am I defending? What is so important that I cannot live without?’ It may be that, until some inordinate desire is identified and confronted, you will not be able to master your anger.”  Timothy Keller in Counterfeit Gods.

Psalm 73:21-26

What has bitterness ever done for you?

Photograph by Melanie Hunt