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PROGRAM D-8279
Do you know anyone whom you would call a bitter person? It’s not difficult to identify bitterness in others and see how unlovely it is. But how about you—any bitter roots growing in your heart? I’m sharing eight signs of bitter roots—evidence that could indicate some bitterness is growing in you. Here’s sign number seven:
Do you find it difficult and uncomfortable to be around cheerful people?
Do you tend to avoid an optimistic person, one who seems to be enjoying life and manages to overcome hardships? Could it be that their very presence makes you even more aware of how unhappy you are and, if so, is your lack of joy or happiness because you’re harboring some resentment? Resentment is the doorway to bitterness, and if you are resenting the fact that others are happy and you are not, that’s a pretty good sign that a bitter root has found a place to grow in your mind and heart.
Ask yourself if the people you choose as your closest friends are people who validate your unhappiness, commiserate with you, and affirm the resentment you are harboring. If you’re choosing to avoid people who won’t come to your pity party, it could be a sign that you’re allowing a bitter root to grow and cause you trouble, as we read in Hebrews 12:15.
The final sign of a bitter root is this:
Do you gossip about and slander others?
Usually when someone gossips and slanders others a lot, it’s because the only way they can feel good about themselves is to make others look bad. This tendency to spread any bad news about others and to rarely if ever congratulate others on their achievements is a very likely sign that you resent success in others—and once again, that resentment opens the door to bitterness.
It’s taken me far too long to realize the insidious ways that resentment attacks my mind, and how quickly resentment turns into bitterness. Could that be true for you as well? I’ve come to realize that any resentment in my heart reveals an attitude that says God didn’t treat me right. God hasn’t been good to me like he has been to others. Resentment is sin, and the enemy of your soul delights to get you started on the road to resentment because he knows it will corrupt your fellowship with God and diminish your effectiveness for Jesus Christ.
Please believe me that the best thing you can do for yourself—and which will bring great glory to God—is to get rid of any roots of bitterness in your heart. Life is too short and there’s too much to do for the Kingdom to waste your time and energy on bitterness.