Mysty Pfeffer“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble, and by it many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:15
I once had poison ivy so bad I missed two days of school. The raised rash covered my body as if I’d rolled around in it. To this day, when I see its red tinted leaves vining through a flower bed, my skin prickles with dread. It must go. So, I apply gloves and carefully pull it away from my blooming flowers.
To my surprise, the pesky poison is back two weeks later! I realize the roots are firmly entrenched among the bed of tall phlox. The plants tenacity reminds me of another kind of root bearing “poisonous and bitter fruit” (Deuteronomy 29:18 ESV). The root I’d like to dig out and burn thoroughly. It’s called bitterness and it creeps into my budding bed of faith just like poison.
Although ’d like to blame hurtful words, restrictions of a virus, work stress, or demands of child rearing, those are not the root. The root is my heart focusing on what is said over what is read. Do you ever fall into that trap? When you and I read the Word of truth, we cherish its grace-filled message.
However, walking into our workplace or chaotic home environment, we struggle to keep the good news active over stubborn hurt feelings in our hearts. (Deuteronomy 29:19).
What is the lure of holding onto angry words or hard feelings despite the freeing power of grace? Perhaps, the reaction feeds a false sense of power. Latching onto the adrenaline rush, we sometimes shed the grace-filled message in favor of the feeling. If we’re not careful, we may miss what God is weeding out. Tangled in a shaded perspective, we can give the lingering root of bitterness room to grow.
Before we know it, careless words and stress are working their way like fresh springs of water to feed disgruntlement. Questions arise as thoughts spiral out of control in the onslaught of indignation. “Did he really have to say that again?” “Why can’t I do anything right?”
It’s the age-old tactic of the devil, plant the seed of doubt in the mind of someone who takes their eyes off Jesus for one moment. Subtly entwine an overwhelmed heart with slight criticism so they are easy prey. The writer of Hebrews says, No! “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God”
The grace of God goes immediately to the source of bitterness and soothes the emotions it evokes, every time. All we must do is pray.
Praying fiercely to cover ourselves and our opposition with grace removes resentment. The tiny tentacles clinging to our hearts release their hold. The gift of grace showered upon us from the day of our redemption teaches us to confess the bitterness God already sees gripping our hearts! We can then place the peaceful power of Jesus over ploys to pull us away from His will.
Soon after, spirit-filled grace will overflow from our grateful hearts onto the pesky poison around us. Roots of bitterness will die when their nourishment is cut off …and no gloves are necessary. Grace wins over bitterness, every time.
For more encouragement check out this post on Sticky
