Weekly Greeting - May 9, 2025
Greetings friends,
When we are mistreated by someone or experience some form of setback in our lives, we are often tempted to become bitter. I know I am! (some days I handle it better than others)
I read recently in an article by Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in California that when we face those kinds of challenges in our lives, it is helpful to ask ourselves, “do I want to become bitter or do I want to become better?”
Great question.
The author of the book of Hebrews offers us a warning in this regard:
Watch out that no bitterness arises among you, for as it springs up, it causes deep trouble, hurting many people in their spiritual lives
Hebrews 12:15
Warren goes on to suggest three healthy ways to resist becoming bitter.
1. Accept what cannot be changed. Much of life is totally beyond your control. Sometimes the only way to overcome a problem is to accept it so that you can find peace.
2. Focus on what is left not what is lost. After a loss it is always helpful to find something for which to be grateful. Scientists have linked gratitude to emotional and even physical health. The more grateful we are, the healthier we are!
3. Play it down and pray it up. I will admit this third one is the most challenging for me. I like to anticipate “worst case scenarios,” which can be helpful in planning, but also make it difficult to let problems go. After a loss, we don’t have to pretend what we experienced wasn’t painful, but it is important to keep things in perspective and especially to remember God is always with us. So after we have “prayed it down,” it is time to “pray it up.” As we pray and begin to heal, we can look for others going through a challenging time and share Warren’s question with them, “do you want to become bitter or do you want to become better?”
Finally, I would encourage you all as a congregation to remember the importance of always seeking to be better and avoiding bitterness. As the author of Hebrews tells us, “when bitterness springs up, it causes deep trouble.”
Don’t be bitter. Be better.
Blessings,
Craig
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