Bitterness weed

A few days ago I decided to take on the big task of cleaning up my back yard, the one thing on my to do list I had been putting off. Now the reason I had been putting it off was because in just a few weeks my weed free yard from the last cleanup had become a weed infested mess! I looked out my back window every day at these weeds and I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I got my work clothes on, and hauled my trash can to my backyard to start working. I bent down to pull the first large group of weeds and found that what looked like many different weeds was one plant. One plant that had one root that had spread itself so much on the surface it was taking over a large portion on the ground. I couldn’t believe it, now could this little bitty root of a plant take over my whole yard? What looked like a mountain of a mess had been caused by about five single plants. The yard clean up I had been delaying in fear of it taking all day, and a lot of work took me about twenty minutes of good solid pulling. My weed problem reminded me of what bitterness has done to my life the last couple of years. One small sentence or action that left me bitter towards family or friends quickly grew into a wide spread weed that overtook my life. You see this bitterness I held towards others unable to forgive like Christ forgave me only hurt me. I spend months and years saying under my breathe “Well this is all their fault! How could they had done me so wrong, not loved me like they should’ve, judged me, and said hurtful words.” I held so tightly to bitterness, rage, and anger that I was only making the weed spread even more over my life. Even when I didn’t want it to bitterness ruled, it kept me from moving forward towards freedom. It kept me enslaved to its life sucking manner. I wanted freedom but fell short until it hit me that the bitterness I had held onto for so long needed to be let go. I had a Savior who came to forgive my sins, who took everything for me while I was still a sinner. I did not deserve this precious sacrifice, but yet I sill received it. I sat in the joy of being forgiven but still did not forgive others. Ephesians 4:31-32 says this “31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Bitterness had done nothing for me! It didn’t change the hurt, and quite frankly no matter how much I tried to pay them back for what they did to me I never felt relief. Don’t get me wrong I still strive for this everyday but once I started to forgive others for the wrong I felt they had done me I started to feel freedom. Inside what had been a mess of weedy bitterness and anger started to get weeded away to forgiveness and love. Bitterness starts small and begins to overtake you just like the weeds did my yard. Don’t let it invade your life any longer!  Let go of the anger and bitterness you hold and forgive like Christ forgave you.