Bitterness

Ephesians 4:31 NAS
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Recently I chatted with a friend about her family. I asked how her father was doing these days and she replied. "Please do not speak his name around me ever again."

I was surprised at her comment and asked why did she feel this way. Surely it couldn't be that bad where she didn't want his name spoken around her. She went on to tell me about the lies, name calling, and the gossip he was spreading about her and her family.

Later I spoke with her brother and he told me the same story but added a bit more that I was unaware of. She was still holding a grudge against her father for giving her up when she was a teen ager. It seems when her parents divorced and her mother remarried, her father gave her up for adoption. She still carries that scar and has let it fester over the years.

When I heard that I called and spoke to her about how she is letting the bitterness take over her life. Allowing the bitteness to take control will end up taking her down to the lowest abyss possible. When that happens your health goes astray, you start to doubt everyone around you. Will they be there when I need them or will they throw me away like my father did? I prayed with her but now it is up to her to give it over to the Lord and let Him be the guide in her life.

No matter what someone else has done to you, it is far better to let God take control, than let it destroy your life. This is hard because we are only human and our first response is to get even or wish something bad on that individual.

Dear Heavenly Father I pray for my friend that she finds peace with the Lord and lets go of all the bitterness against her father. To let the Lord handle her life, He knows what is best for her. Amen.