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PROGRAM D-8276
If I could name one thing that will ruin your life quicker than anything else, it would be bitterness. The deceptive thing about bitterness is that it usually creeps up on you little by little, and you may not even recognize it. So, I’m going to share eight signs that bitterness may be taking root in your heart. Let me begin with this verse from Hebrews 12:15 which says, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
It’s your job and mine to “see to it” that bitter roots don’t grow in our hearts, and to recognize them early on and get rid of them quickly, before they grow up and cause us trouble and spill over to those around us.
Here’s sign number one that you may be allowing bitterness to grow:
In general do you tend to be more negative than positive?
Negativity is often born out of hurt, out of bad experiences which you have not dealt with appropriately. This negativity is a sign that bitterness has found a root in your heart. When that happens, you lose your joy, you find few things or people who please you, and life becomes more difficult.
So I ask you to examine your heart right now—and be very honest with yourself: Would people think of you as mostly negative? If so, what bitter root do you need to “see to it”—to pull out of your heart before it grows any larger? You do this by confessing that bitterness to God, admitting that it’s wrong, and asking for God’s help to pull it out of your heart. This usually calls for some forgiveness on your part and a willingness to let it go—whatever “it” is which has caused that bitter root to grow.
Another sign of a bitter root growing in your heart is this:
Do you hold grudges?
Even though grudges are painful to maintain, many hold onto them for years. Search your heart: Are you hanging on to a grudge? To let go of a grudge, you must be willing to let go of your identity as the “wronged” one, and instead become the one who forgave and the one who chose to let go of past hurt.
Two signs of bitter roots are negative attitudes and holding on to grudges. Any bitter roots showing up in the garden of your heart? If so, “see to it” that you get rid of it by confessing it to God and allowing him to set you free from those bitter roots.
