Growing Root of Bitterness
I started reading this book, Soaring Above the Ashes on the Wings of Forgiveness, by Kitty Chappell last night. Thus far, the story is of a woman growing up after the Great Depression and being raised by a loving mother and father who must have been a sociopath. His behaviors were calculating, manipulative, and just plain evil. What's worse is the story is true!
As I watched my husband pulling up some pretty, but invasive plants, I noticed the roots were thick and sturdy. I thought that was interesting because during my walks in the yard these same flowers would begin to grow where they shouldn't and I pulled the little sprouts out easily with nothing but a thread like root attached. But this patch had been left to its own devices for many months and had burrowed deep and spread its roots wide to support many branches in the meantime growing stronger each day.
My mind went back to this story of abuse and living in constant fear that the author, Chappell, had to endure. As I read the book, the growing root of bitterness toward her father escalated to the point of rage and thoughts of murder. Kitty was too young to leave the situation so her feelings of guilt about not being able to protect her mother and siblings led to further pain.
I just watched a video this morning on Facebook of a North Korean woman telling about horrible abuse by members of her government and the Chinese government, until she escaped across the Gobi Desert to Mongolia where she got help and safety. Her story is one in which she watched a friend's mother executed for watching a Hollywood movie and her own mother being raped so she could escape (imagine the guilt). How could she not have had a growing root of bitterness in her heart against those controlling and harming her, her friends and family members?
How can we keep from growing a root of bitterness in our own lives when evil seems to prevail? I think it must begin early while the root is still small and we must weed our hearts daily. If we try to ignore bitterness or pretend it's not in us, it will grow big and sturdy within us until like my husband's patch of overgrown flowers it will take strength and sweat to pull it out and two large garbage bins to carry it away.
Pray daily, read the Holy Scriptures for God's wisdom on the situation, and give all that is evil to God as He knows the consequences of sin in the world. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross and rise from the tomb three days later, thus overcoming sin and death for us all. This is not to say sin is not in the world, because its obvious by the above situations that it is, but the Bible tells us what to do in the meantime and what the outcome for the Father of Sin, the devil or Satan, will be one day. God is just and justice will be served, so evil may try to convince us that it is winning, but victory is in the Lord.
As I watched my husband pulling up some pretty, but invasive plants, I noticed the roots were thick and sturdy. I thought that was interesting because during my walks in the yard these same flowers would begin to grow where they shouldn't and I pulled the little sprouts out easily with nothing but a thread like root attached. But this patch had been left to its own devices for many months and had burrowed deep and spread its roots wide to support many branches in the meantime growing stronger each day.
My mind went back to this story of abuse and living in constant fear that the author, Chappell, had to endure. As I read the book, the growing root of bitterness toward her father escalated to the point of rage and thoughts of murder. Kitty was too young to leave the situation so her feelings of guilt about not being able to protect her mother and siblings led to further pain.
I just watched a video this morning on Facebook of a North Korean woman telling about horrible abuse by members of her government and the Chinese government, until she escaped across the Gobi Desert to Mongolia where she got help and safety. Her story is one in which she watched a friend's mother executed for watching a Hollywood movie and her own mother being raped so she could escape (imagine the guilt). How could she not have had a growing root of bitterness in her heart against those controlling and harming her, her friends and family members?
How can we keep from growing a root of bitterness in our own lives when evil seems to prevail? I think it must begin early while the root is still small and we must weed our hearts daily. If we try to ignore bitterness or pretend it's not in us, it will grow big and sturdy within us until like my husband's patch of overgrown flowers it will take strength and sweat to pull it out and two large garbage bins to carry it away.
Pray daily, read the Holy Scriptures for God's wisdom on the situation, and give all that is evil to God as He knows the consequences of sin in the world. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross and rise from the tomb three days later, thus overcoming sin and death for us all. This is not to say sin is not in the world, because its obvious by the above situations that it is, but the Bible tells us what to do in the meantime and what the outcome for the Father of Sin, the devil or Satan, will be one day. God is just and justice will be served, so evil may try to convince us that it is winning, but victory is in the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14-15, 22-24
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 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...
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
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