Choose Freedom
Choose Wisdom
Choose Victory - We win...we just have to choose to live in it.
I think as women with so many things pulling us and responsibilities, we have all experienced hurt and heartache and disappointment whether it is in our jobs or families, friendships or just a situation in general, its so easy for bitterness to set in. You might get frustrated or feel lonely or even angry with a situation. This lesson was so timely for me.
I had had a particularly difficult time with a couple situations this week that just left me feeling bitter. Not with a person but just with situations in general. I just felt a sort of grumpy, bitter spirit about myself. So as I opened my workbook to work on the lesson this week with my grumpy little attitude you can imagine that this was not the topic I wanted to see. I was like, REALLY, GOD?! This was the quote that stared back at me..."The bitter wallflower can only focus on the life she's never known and the parties she missed. The woman who resists bitterness and believes God is finally ready to dance." In the book, Angela goes on to say "I think we give up because we can't see God working all things together for good." Bitterness becomes more attractive the more empty we become, it comes from our turning away from God. Bitterness is characterized by feelings of hatred, envy and resentment. It's a distraction, it occurs when we lose our focus, when we turn our gaze inward and away from God. Proverbs 14:10 says "The heart knows it's own bitterness; and a stranger does not share it's joy." This was particularly meaningful for me because in the middle of my bitterness this week, I was blessed to be able to share in the joy of a couple of close friends and that helped to pull me out of some of that bitterness.
As important as those godly relationships are, staying in community as we have discussed in previous lessons can have some negative results that you have to be on your guard about as well. I think we have all run into situations where it jus seems like some folks would just rather you become and STAY bitter. They just like you that way and they encourage the resentment and feed your pity-party. They have become consumed with bitterness and they want you to join them...they want you to get angry, take revenge. You start to hear things like "I wouldn't just let that go", "You gonna let them get away with that?!", "I'd still be mad if I were you.", or "Oh, I'd get back at them!". They fuel the situation instead of helping. The fact is, its so easy to get caught off guard and give in to bitterness and just sulk in your failures and pout about it. Angela talks about how she has been misrepresented and unheard and how she had easily given up on some days but you just have to come to a point where you taste the root of bitterness and regard its comfort as poison. We do not want to remain inward focused on our grievances. We can not stay that way and go forward with God.
It goes back to our choice to believe. We have to choose to believe. Every time we allow ourselves to fall into bitterness and disappointment we are listening to Satan's promptings, inclining our ear toward his directives...forgetting to live what we believe.
When preparing for this lesson I was reminded of the study we did some time ago. James 3:11 says, "Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?"
Sometimes we don't even realize we have that bitterness inside us until it comes flowing out of our mouths. But in Matthew 12:34, Jesus tells us "The mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart." so whatever is going on in there will come out one way or another. But if we just believe God and relinquish that bitterness, we are free from that.
A perfect example was Moses in Exodus. (Exodus 15:22-25) Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea and then into the wilderness of Shur where they were for three days with no water. then they came to Marah and tried to drink the water but it was too bitter to drink. So the people complained to Moses asking, "What shall we drink?" So Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree. when he threw it into the water it became sweet and they were able to drink it. But it wasn't until Moses refocused and called upon God did the bitterness go away. God showed him how. We have to remember...we win. We just have to choose victory.
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