Lord, Help Me Not To...Sýnishorn

DAY 2
LORD, HELP ME NOT TO BE BITTER!

In my experience, there are a couple of warning signs that might indicate you have a spirit of offense.

The first one is bitterness. If you carry a root of bitterness, this is a sign that a wound has taken root. The question is: how deeply rooted is your offense? How deeply rooted is your bitterness? An easy way to tell if you are still bitter is if that person comes by you, and you get this “look.” You know what I mean… the eye roll, the disgusted up and down look, or you make a U-turn and stroll the other way.

If what I’m saying is resonating with you right now, it’s okay. We’ve all been there!

In Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV) it says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

How do you combat bitterness? With kindness. I know… easier said than done.

But it’s true! If you want to not slap someone in the face… the answer is kindness and gentleness. Maybe you’re like me, and you need to remind yourself. Sometimes, I have to tell myself this in the morning, “Lisa, be kind today. Don't slap that barista today. Be kind to that driver that is driving so slow. Be kind to your daughter when she is learning how to drive.” If you’ve ever had to teach your child to drive, you understand my struggle!

This one was a big lesson I had to learn. And it can be hard when you see things on social media or you hear about people's issues or problems. When a clerk starts to be short with me, I want to be sassy. When a friend says something to hurt my feelings, I want to respond in anger. But what if we were to take a step back? What if we responded with kindness and empathy instead?

Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Maybe the barista that spoke to me was irritated because she had to repeat things over and over that day. Maybe the person that offended you is hurting emotionally, or maybe you took things the wrong way.

Hear me out, I’m not saying be a doormat. Don’t mistake kindness for condoning behavior. If someone is consistently betraying your trust, hurting your feelings or there are external factors in play, I’m not saying to suck it up and let them walk all over you. In every situation, you must pray and ask God for discernment on how He wants you to handle it. However, I can tell you, that no matter how deep the hurt goes, God never intended for you to hold on to bitterness.

Today, I want to encourage you to replace bitterness with kindness and empathy.