Dear Conrad - How do we deal with stuff like bitterness? It's really hard, at least for me, not to be bitter about a couple things in my life right now. And I don't like it at all. - andrea

Dear Andrea,

The best passage I can think of is this one...

MT 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. [24] As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. [25] Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

MT 18:26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. `Be patient with me,' he begged, `and I will pay back everything.' [27] The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. `Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, `Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. [31] When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

"Then the master called the servant in. `You wicked servant,' he said, `I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. [33] Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' [34] In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Notice we are the person that the Master forgave the debt. Both you and me Andrea have amassed $4 Trillion of debt to God.

He forgives us of this debt. And if he can forgive us of $4T of debt, he wants us to forgive each other of 50 Cents. And not get bitter over something so small verses a lifetime of sin we do to him.

While the pain we feel because of someone else is great - God's grace is bigger.

Everything points to God. Bitterness comes in when we look at ourselves. When someone does us wrong, that should show us the times when we do God wrong. That should point us to his grace and forginess of us, which should point us to forgiveness of them.

Like you said, it's really hard, especially when you're dealing with emotional pain.

It does take time. Sometimes years. But it's a matter of growth. A little more than yesterday.