One Harsh Word. One Argument. One Death. One Injustice. One Accusation. ONE HURT. Now the question is, will we become bitter or better?
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
Over the next couple of weeks, I want to catch you all up to speed on the wonderful whirlwind that my life has been for the last few months. I want to share how God is changing my story and our family, and I want to start with how it all began. About 3 months ago, Blake and I started attending Celebrate Recovery at our church to allow God to heal our hurts and hangups. Very early in the process, the Lord began speaking to me about stepping out of my denial and into a life of freedom in Him.
One of the biggest areas in my life that I needed to be freed from was bitterness and unforgiveness. For years, I carried weight from my childhood, from past relationships, from unexplained deaths, from hurts caused by my husband, disappointments, and the list goes on and on! Funny thing is, all of that baggage I was carrying around didn't affect anyone but ME! I had become a slave to the bitterness in my heart. God showed me that all of the hurts in my life can have one of two effects on my heart and relationship with Him. They can make me bitter or they can make me BETTER! There is only one letter that sets those two words apart...I! When I choose to dwell on how any hurt affects me, I am going to end up in the pit of bitterness. The definition for bitter is hard to bear; grievous; distressful. But the truth of 2 Corinthians sets me free from any hurt that seems too hard to bear. And what's most encouraging to me is that those hurts create "a glory that far outweighs them and lasts forever"!
How do you allow hurts to affect you? Do you choose to become bitter or better because of them? We are MORE than conquerors in Christ and have the ability to live in the freedom of abundant life. I feel so FREE, now that the chains of bitterness are not weighing me down anymore. I CHOOSE TO BE BETTER!
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
Over the next couple of weeks, I want to catch you all up to speed on the wonderful whirlwind that my life has been for the last few months. I want to share how God is changing my story and our family, and I want to start with how it all began. About 3 months ago, Blake and I started attending Celebrate Recovery at our church to allow God to heal our hurts and hangups. Very early in the process, the Lord began speaking to me about stepping out of my denial and into a life of freedom in Him.
One of the biggest areas in my life that I needed to be freed from was bitterness and unforgiveness. For years, I carried weight from my childhood, from past relationships, from unexplained deaths, from hurts caused by my husband, disappointments, and the list goes on and on! Funny thing is, all of that baggage I was carrying around didn't affect anyone but ME! I had become a slave to the bitterness in my heart. God showed me that all of the hurts in my life can have one of two effects on my heart and relationship with Him. They can make me bitter or they can make me BETTER! There is only one letter that sets those two words apart...I! When I choose to dwell on how any hurt affects me, I am going to end up in the pit of bitterness. The definition for bitter is hard to bear; grievous; distressful. But the truth of 2 Corinthians sets me free from any hurt that seems too hard to bear. And what's most encouraging to me is that those hurts create "a glory that far outweighs them and lasts forever"!
How do you allow hurts to affect you? Do you choose to become bitter or better because of them? We are MORE than conquerors in Christ and have the ability to live in the freedom of abundant life. I feel so FREE, now that the chains of bitterness are not weighing me down anymore. I CHOOSE TO BE BETTER!
Comments
You are precious.