I'm asking this as a sincere question for other Christians. How do you fight bitterness?
I am not sure if there is a sentiment that others have, or if it's something more personal. There are hints that others feel similar, so I can't help but notice that. All I can say is that being "out in the world" for a decade+ now, my opinion of people has gradually fallen. That's not to say I think of myself much better, my own opinion of...myself...has not fared much better. It just seems a slog sometimes to deal with others and interact with them. I find this bitterness generally means I assume the worst or even begin to distrust institutions and people.
I'm finding myself downright cynical and agreeing often with many statements in the wisdom books - Proverbs & Ecclesiastes in particular - about everything being vain and so on.
In doing some reading, this topic came up and got me thinking.
So what do you say?
How Do You Fight Bitterness? (Verses, Thoughts, Etc.)
If I'm understanding you I dont think you are alone in this at all
Today we have good reason to view much of this generation and the endeavors of business/Companies with great skepticism.
Skepticism can be a good thing to have, it often buys us time observe and to evaluate a person or thing.
Its when skepticism slips to its negative element and it becomes, bitterness based in truth or assumed about a person or thing that we should try to avoid.
There can certainly be plenty of legitimate reasons to feel bitterness. Seems being human lends itself to make it easy to get bitter about things
be them our personal loves or professional . Then there is the sorry condition in general of men and the world around us, more divisions than agreements more greed then generosity more mean spritness than kindness etc. it seems to come from all sides. Its not surprising we can get bitter at it all
However all Bitterness comes from negative feelings and emotions, and it becomes like leaven to us, and seeps in to everything we do or think .
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (Gal 5:9) ......
We are left to find reasons to keep ourselves out of bitterness. So to the question as how we do that ?
One way I do is to remind myself to remember the times in which we live. In a generation of lovers of self in a world upside down a time when bad is good and good is bad ....However we were told these things would come, to expect these things to continue to deteriorate. iniquity has been at work a long time, ....
If we accept all this as true ...
Why do we then get jaded and bitter about people or things being as they are?
Is this sad state of things itself not evidence of Gods words? His prophecies coming to pass as he told us ?
If we can step outside our daily experience , an keep the larger view in perspective, We can see things are
proceeding exactly as foretold with Gods plans. That should give us comfort when bitterness of how things are come to mind
Eph 4:29
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:31
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Today we have good reason to view much of this generation and the endeavors of business/Companies with great skepticism.
Skepticism can be a good thing to have, it often buys us time observe and to evaluate a person or thing.
Its when skepticism slips to its negative element and it becomes, bitterness based in truth or assumed about a person or thing that we should try to avoid.
There can certainly be plenty of legitimate reasons to feel bitterness. Seems being human lends itself to make it easy to get bitter about things
be them our personal loves or professional . Then there is the sorry condition in general of men and the world around us, more divisions than agreements more greed then generosity more mean spritness than kindness etc. it seems to come from all sides. Its not surprising we can get bitter at it all
However all Bitterness comes from negative feelings and emotions, and it becomes like leaven to us, and seeps in to everything we do or think .
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (Gal 5:9) ......
We are left to find reasons to keep ourselves out of bitterness. So to the question as how we do that ?
One way I do is to remind myself to remember the times in which we live. In a generation of lovers of self in a world upside down a time when bad is good and good is bad ....However we were told these things would come, to expect these things to continue to deteriorate. iniquity has been at work a long time, ....
If we accept all this as true ...
Why do we then get jaded and bitter about people or things being as they are?
Is this sad state of things itself not evidence of Gods words? His prophecies coming to pass as he told us ?
If we can step outside our daily experience , an keep the larger view in perspective, We can see things are
proceeding exactly as foretold with Gods plans. That should give us comfort when bitterness of how things are come to mind
Eph 4:29
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:31
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Well for me, my walk is not perfect by all mean (Psalms 18:30) but I do come across situations that cause me to feel let down and think that perhaps they [whoever they are] are not what they make themselves out to be.
It becomes a little disappointing to find out that humans we look up to or admire are fallible and sometimes can be self-motivated. At the end of the day though, the only person I truly trust and rely on is God. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
For that bitterness issue, ( James 3:14-15) I have found that the key is to forgive others. (Luke 17:4) Let go of resentment that has built up over a period of time because it can destroy you. Once I have forgiven, it releases and frees me from any more anger ( James 1:20) frustration or suspicion regarding a situation or thing. It's gone and I leave the outcome to God.
It becomes a little disappointing to find out that humans we look up to or admire are fallible and sometimes can be self-motivated. At the end of the day though, the only person I truly trust and rely on is God. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
For that bitterness issue, ( James 3:14-15) I have found that the key is to forgive others. (Luke 17:4) Let go of resentment that has built up over a period of time because it can destroy you. Once I have forgiven, it releases and frees me from any more anger ( James 1:20) frustration or suspicion regarding a situation or thing. It's gone and I leave the outcome to God.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrew 4:13