The Bitter Root

I remembered my girls in their early grade school doing a science project with a kidney bean in a glass jar. All that was needed was a glass jar, either cotton balls or wet toilet paper damp but not too wet, and a bean. Place the jar near to a window … and in two or three days the seed germinates into a small plant much to the excitement of the little curious eyes who kept a vigil going.

Hebrews 12: 14-15 warns us to make every effort to live in peace with everyone and see that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and contaminate us. When the root is bitter the fruit must be sour. Bitterness creeps into our heart by wet used tissues that we use to blow our noses after an ugly crying session. Like the red kidney bean sitting by the window … we pull up our chairs by the window and in two or three days the bitterness grows and produces troubling thoughts.

Bitterness shackles us to memories of the past, sickens us to the core, and obscure our vision making everything blurred. We were warned to make every effort to live in peace with everyone and see that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble thoughts that blur our vision.

Stephen Covey, the author of ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ says that: 10% of life is made up of what happens to you, and 90% of life is decided by how you react. We do not have any control over 10% of what happens to us … but we do own the 90% refusing to be drawn into a sea of hatred and bitterness.

To be honest, I am grateful for all the major incidents in my life that forced and pushed me to be the person I am today. Whether those events were positive or negative one thing is certain they changed my life forever in a good way. Everything happens for a reason whether they were planned or outside of our control.

My AHA MOMENT: People will do better if they knew better. In the meantime … I do the best that I can. I want to see what happens if I don’t give up.

I have gone through major changes over the years that has rocked my little corner of the world, some I thought I would never survive the aftermath … and others I thought there’s no way that God sent me this situation. But today, I am the proud recipient of valuable lessons that have inspired me to write from my advantageous viewpoints.

I had an amusing thought recently — “Why didn’t God make us microwavable?” If we were microwaveable maybe I could just pop myself into the microwave, click the one-minute button cooking myself into a nice gourmet dinner for everyone sitting around the table. People who love to eat are ALWAYS the best people to be around. (Not funny at all. Sort of funny. Far better than crying. )

Someone said, “Anger is about a present hurt; bitterness is about a past hurt. When we feel angry it’s because of something that just happened. Bitterness is always waiting outside the door.” Let it go! Don’t feel so hurt about something that was done to you in the past and every time your heart beats you feel the pain all over again.

I have had to forgive people that never asked for my forgiveness … it’s not about them … it’s about me freeing myself from the memories. I opened the cage and let the caged-bird fly out. Life doesn’t have to be perfect to enjoy it. Let no root of bitterness spring up and contaminate you.