All his days he eats in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.
—Ecclesiastes 5:17
Have you ever been mistreated by a spouse, parent, child, teacher, employer, or coworker?
Probably.
Has it made you bitter?
Bitterness breeds a lot of problems but never solves one. It takes control of our mind, making us its slave. Hate hurts the hater more than the hated.
You’ve heard it said that our lives are shaped by what we love. That’s true.
Our lives are also shaped by what we hate.
Bitterness is exterminated, or it grows. It is destroyed, or it destroys.
If bitterness has you in its grip, one of two things will happen: you will conquer it, or it will conquer you.
If you plant poison ivy,
don’t expect to grow roses.