1 Peter 3:8 - 16
There are often times when we are left feeling hard done by others. We have sought to do the best for someone else, and they in turn have misunderstood what we've tried to do, they have ignored or made slight of our efforts, they have ridiculed us. Other times we may think that people don't respect something in the way they should, they don't behave like we think they should. There may be unresolved conflict. All of this can lead to bitterness within us. However, Peter tells us not to repay evil for evil, instead we are to repay them with blessings.
This can be hard to do. How do you bless someone who has hurt you to the core of your being? We can only do this as we embrace the hope of the coming of Jesus and know that already we have his presence and this gives us hope beyond our bitterness.
1 seek God's blessings in whatever situation you're in. Know that as unfair and hard done by you may feel, God is with you, loving you and journeying through it with you. When all others may desert you, he won't.
2 don't be afraid. Bitterness comes about when we think that we don't have any control over our situation. We can choose how to respond, we can choose what effect the other person will have on us. We don't have to be afraid, because God is in control.
3 acknowledge that Christ is lord of all things, including this situation. He will show us the way of living that is different from bitterness and he will give us the ability to provide a positive witness to him.
Reflecting on a bad experience; be it a confrontation, a failed relationship, a stormy period of despair, financial woes or dealing with unwarranted criticism, etc, etc; people may be heard to describe their experience as a “bitter pill to swallow”, or that they “had been to hell and back”. Depending upon your own disposition, some will “get over it” quickly, others will “walk away” and chalk it up to life experience (maybe), and a few might simply “turn the other cheek”. But to come away, relatively worse off, “bitter” (and twisted, possibly), is a disappointingly extreme outcome.
ReplyDeleteBitterness; can be an all consuming passion, and self (or soul) destroying condition. The severity of the related experience, will dictate the depth of disillusionment and the resultant feelings of animosity and enmity. Observers are inclined to say, “leave them be, they’ll get over it in time!” I wonder though, if such a response is really helpful. Of course, it could well be the only sensible response; but I wonder if God can use “the milk of human kindness” effectively, in such a difficult, possibly unwinnable situation.
When you’re reeling from the body blows of a bad experience, it can cloud your judgment and perspective very quickly. Repeatedly stewing over the events and slipping into a position of self pity, regret, despair, or unbridled anger, can do very little to redeem a situation, or find a satisfactory way out. Inevitably that serves no worthwhile purpose and only exacerbates what can be a damaging process once it gets out of control. Patiently, loving the victim; taking time to listen while they address their woes can be the very milk of human kindness, which God can work with.
Bitterness and resentment, left unchecked can become a crisis, a flash point. Then the words of Peter; “be sympathetic, love as brothers (or sisters)” (those who have succumbed to bitterness), “be compassionate and humble”, can be the best medicine.
Regards Mal L.