Overcoming Bitterness: Moving From Life’s Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled With JoySample

Day Seven: When Bitterness Starts Melting Away

One of my great delights as a pastor and biblical counselor is watching the Lord progressively change people into the image of Christ. This is exactly what we see in Ruth 3. This part of Naomi’s story is bubbling over with hope. Picture the end of a long, cold winter when the first warm days of spring appear. The icicles start to melt. Green vegetation begins to sprout up through the disappearing snow.

The lesson of Ruth 3 is that the ice of bitterness melts by a faith that embraces and affirms God’s essential goodness and acts courageously even when times are hard. That means that if your relationship with the Lord has been frozen in bitterness and unbelief for decades, you don’t have to stay that way. God stands ready with a giant container of ice melt and will sprinkle it liberally over your heart and life.

If He enabled Naomi to change from “call me Mara” in Ruth 1 to “let’s trust God enough to make a wedding proposal” in Ruth 3, He can help us be dramatically different in the way we relate to Him and those around us. This is what happens when you do what is right in His eyes. We discover three characteristics of bitterness-melting courageous faith:

1.  Courageous Faith Is Willing to Risk—Naomi’s view of the Lord has dramatically changed (Ruth 3:1-4).

2.  Courageous Faith Is Rewarded by God’s Good Hand—what might happen if you choose to follow the Lord’s Word even when times are hard? (Ruth 3:5-10)

3.  Courageous Faith Knows When to Act . . . and When to Wait—Sometimes the greatest antidote to bitterness is to patiently wait on the Lord (Ruth 3:18).

When the book of Ruth opened, Naomi’s life was filled with emptiness, unbelief, and profound bitterness. In Ruth 4, we find a woman who looked so different. Naomi is rested, full, and bouncing a little baby on her lap. Naomi finally saw the core lie behind her bitterness—that God was against her. When we are truthful before God about ourselves and our situation, we give permission for Him to melt away our bitterness.

Handling bitterness well is something we must choose to learn. That takes time. Root out sinful bitterness of heart and life. Enjoy the sweetness of God’s presence and principles, and you’ll never want to go back again. When God gives gifts, He often gives ones that are astoundingly precious.

What would a step of courageous faith look like in your situation? Take that first step today and each day after.