By now, most Americans are familiar with the symptoms and severity of the COVID-19 virus. Like many of you, our family has read up on information relating to this disease to determine the early warning signs and symptoms. We have tried to be diligent, careful, and wise in our interactions with people to prevent our catching this virus. We understand the risks and potential dangers and are therefore changing the way we behave.
The Bible warns us of another illness, one even more harmful than COVID-19, one that we must be on guard against so that we don’t contract it. Over the next two weeks, in these emails, we’ll explore the disease of bitterness. We read about it in Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”
Notice in the passage that bitterness can “spring up” (come upon suddenly) and “trouble you” (cause trial); and “many be defiled” (it can infect and affect others). Make no mistake, the disease/sin of bitterness is real, and there is no immunization for it. Bitterness does not discriminate; it affects the Christian and non-Christian alike. In a season of life where God is shaking the earth, changing our lives, disrupting our “normal” and removing some of our resources, the danger of catching bitterness can increase. The good news is that there are plenty of warning signs, and even better news is that it is a curable condition! If a root of bitterness has sprung up in our hearts, God’s Word can reveal it; and His grace can remedy it!
So how do we know if we have become infected by bitterness? What are the signs and symptoms that we ought to look for? Well, first, bitterness can usually be traced back to a cause or a starting point, specifically some kind of an offence. Offenses come our way in all different forms--we take offense at how we’re treated, what we received or didn’t receive, over loss, and even unmet expectations. Sometimes the offense is caused, intentionally or unintentionally, by another person. But sometimes we take offense at God for how He is choosing to run our lives. Therefore, a good place to start when examining whether a root of bitterness is in our hearts is to ask ourselves, “Is there an offense I’m struggling with?”
We must keep in mind, though, that tracing the root of bitterness in our lives might be difficult, because the sin of bitterness can have a blinding effect. I John 2:15 says, “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” Bitter people tend to be angry, jealous, and even hateful towards others; but this verse tells us that they don’t even see those sins in their lives. It is, therefore, often necessary for God’s Word to reveal the bitterness or for God to use a fellow brother or sister in Christ to point it out. The challenge for the bitter person is that he doesn’t often like to hear that type of news.
I have always had bad allergies. I am aware of it, but I don’t like to be reminded of it by those around me. I don’t like to be told to get shots, take a pill, or use a nasal spray. I don’t tend to see my allergies as a major problem but rather as an inconvenience to which I’ve become accustomed. How scary to think that we can become so accustomed to our sins that we fail to see them as problems, and therefore reject even considering a cure.
So far, we’ve learned that bitterness is a disease for which God has a cure, that the root of bitterness in our lives is probably caused by some offense we’ve harbored in our heart, and that there is a good chance we’re blind to our own bitterness. Next week, we’ll look at some symptoms of bitterness and end our exploration of this disease with some helpful solutions for dealing with it.