Root of Bitterness

Proverbs 4:23 says, " Above all else guard you heart, for it is the wellspring of life." When we are instructed to take every thought captive, it is for the protection of our hearts. Our Heavenly Father knows how we are wrought; how things affect us. He knows that we cannot entertain thoughts in our minds without our hearts being affected. 

This is especially true with regard to those in authority over us.


That is why children are warned over and over again to honor their parents. He tells us this because therein lies the blessing, but it is also to protect us against a root of bitterness being planted in our hearts. When we are young, our attitudes toward our parents lay a foundation for the rest of our lives. If we choose to honor them, we will also forgive them when they are wrong. satan would have us choose instead to store up their offenses and recount them to ourselves when we become angry at them. If we do this and refuse to forgive, he will cause our hearts to slowly harden toward our parents. When this happens, it's like a snowball rolling down a hill. It will grow larger and more dangerous as it tumbles down the slope. Our hearts are the same way. 

There is a precious song that illustrates this principle perfectly. It's called "Two Children" by Steve and Annie Chapman:

Two children, a brother and a sister
Born to a father who was a slave to wine

They do remember their younger years of sorrow 
How their daddy used to hurt them time after time

Somehow they grew to be so different
Their lives turned out to be like day and night

One lives in peace, up in Ohio
One was filled with hate until she died.

I wondered what could make the difference in the two of them?
Both had reasons to be bitter, but one was so sweet


How could one live in peace and not the other?
Not long ago the answer became clear to me:

I saw the brother at his daddy's grave,
Placing flowers there his eyes were filled with tears
He said, "Daddy, once again I do forgive you, 
For the way you made us suffer through the years."


Now I can see how the two could be so different,
How their hearts turned out to be like day and night


He lives in peace, up in Ohio
She was bitter till the day she died

He lives in forgiveness, up in Ohio
She was bitter till the day she died, 
A bitter heart was the reason that she died.


That which we gaze on in our heart molds us into who we will be. If we choose to gaze on the face of a loving Heavenly Father, and a Blessed Savior, and the Indwelling Spirit, we will become more and more like them. If instead we store up in our hearts the offenses of others, we will become more and more like what it is we hate in them. There is no other word for it when we choose not to forgive. Hate is the result. 


Luke 6:45 says, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks."


Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."


Thankfully, the Lord is quick to forgive and heal those broken places in our spirits when we confess and repent. May we all choose to live in peace and forgiveness, having laid down any offenses we have stored up in our hearts toward others. 

He is so patient with me. He will not leave me in this state. He is constantly cleansing and renewing my spirit and "skimming the dross." There are so many instances in my life when I have not properly respected authority in my heart. May He increase my hunger for personal holiness. May I allow Him to reveal every motive of my heart so that He will be glorified. What a Mighty God we serve!