Three Ways to Resist Bitterness

“Watch
out
that
no
bitterness
takes
root
among
you,
for
as
it
springs
up
it
causes
deep
trouble,
hurting
many
in
their
spiritual
lives.”

Hebrews
12:15
(TLB)

When
you
feel
like
you’ve
lost
everything,
you
will
have
to
work
hard
to
resist
bitterness.
Why?
Because
bitterness
will
do
you
more
harm
than
the
circumstance
you
went
through.

Your
past
is
past.
The
only
way
it
can
hurt
you
is
if
you
choose
to
hold
on
to
it
through
bitterness
and
resentment.
You
need
to
let
it
go!
Bitterness
doesn’t
change
the
past.
It
can’t
control
the
future.
All
it
does
is
mess
up
your
life
right
now.

The
Bible
says
in
Hebrews
12:15, “Watch
out
that
no
bitterness
takes
root
among
you,
for
as
it
springs
up
it
causes
deep
trouble,
hurting
many
in
their
spiritual
lives” (TLB).

You
need
to
decide
if
you
want
to
be
bitter
or
if
you
want
to
get
better.
Here
are
three
ways
to
resist
bitterness.

First,
accept
what
cannot
be
changed. Much
of
life
is
totally
beyond
your
control.
Sometimes
the
only
way
to
overcome
a
problem
is
to
accept
it
so
you
can
be
at
peace.

Faith
is
facing
reality
and
not
being
discouraged,
because
you
know
God
is
in
control.
God
loves
you—he
cares
for
you,
he
sees
you,
and
he
will
help
you.

Second,
focus
on
what’s
left,
not
on
what’s
lost. After
a
loss
you
need
to
find
something
to
be
grateful
for.
There’s
always
something
to
be
grateful
for,
and
it’s
often
the
very
thing
we
take
for
granted
the
most.

Scientists
have
discovered
that
gratitude
is
thehealthiest
emotion
you
can
have.
That
means
the
more
grateful
you
are,
the
more
emotionally
and
physically
healthy
you’re
likely
to
be.

Third,
play
it
down
and
pray
it
up. After
a
loss,
you
don’t
have
to
pretend
that
what
you
experienced
didn’t
cause
you
any
hurt
and
grief.
But
you
can
keep
things
in
perspective—especially
as
parents.
When
children
suffer
a
loss,
we
can
tell
them,
“Yes,
this
was
bad.
Yes,
it
hurt.
But
we’ll
make
it
through.
God
is
good,
and
he’s
right
here
with
us.
We
will
stick
together
and
keep
moving
forward.”

Then,
you
pray.
You
talk
to
God
about
it—and
keep
talking!
He
loves
it
when
you
turn
to
him
in
prayer.
And
as
you
begin
to
heal
from
your
hurt,
you
keep
asking
God
to
work
in
your
heart
to
release
your
pain
and
resist
bitterness.

• How
  has
  bitterness
  affected
  you
  or
  your
  family?
• When
  you
  accept
  what
  cannot
  be
  changed,
  does
  it
  mean
  you
  have
  to
  forget
  what
  happened?
  Why
  or
  why
  not?
• Why
  does
  developing
  an
  attitude
  of
  gratitude
  take
  practice?