by Tanya Clark-Grimsley
Your compassion must go deep. There is no human being who does not deserve your forgiveness. (No matter who) Bitterness, anger, resentment, grief and pain you feel will consume you. It doesn’t matter if you’re right or wrong. It will grab hold of you and suffocate. No matter how big or small the root of hurt inside you is, it still has impact on your life.
Emotional wounds, just like physical wounds take some time to heal. The wider and deeper the wound, the longer it will take. But much like an infection, emotional wounds can spread quickly and wreak havoc on a body.
- Allowing yourself to dwell on the issue
- Rehashing it over and over keeps the wound festering inside you.
- Without forgiveness our body is like a runaway train that can’t be stopped.
IT CAN AFFECT OUR BODIES
• Physical consequences of bitterness are things such as headaches, ulcers, sleeplessness, heart-attacks, anxiety, fear, tension, depression.
• Bitterness may aggravate or even cause physical problems. It causes fatigue, backache, ulcers, headaches, and drains our vitality.
IT CAN AFFECT OUR EMOTIONS
• The mental consequences of bitterness are continued hypercritical attitudes. Nobody can do anything right. There is usually anger and resentment with things doesn’t go our way (and they often don’t).
IT INFLUENCES AND AFFECTS OTHER PEOPLE
• Bitterness spreads and infects others. They either catch the critical and grouching spirit from the bitter people, or they decide to avoid their company. And, of course, the rejection caused by the bitterness leads to the people concerned feeling even more bitter, and so the cycle continues.
Anyone can criticize, condemn, and complain. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving – Dale Carnegie
I know it is a lot easier said than done. Do whatever is in your power to stop fueling those fires.
Forgiveness. It’s interesting that even Jesus own disciples struggled with this issue. Example: Peter – “Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” (Matthew 18:21-23) Why? – because not to forgive means fostering bitterness – and we cannot be bitter and know success in life. Nor can we live in bitterness and live the God life at the same time – for the heart of God is always to forgive. So if bitterness is the biggest enemy of winning in life – forgiveness is the greatest antidote.
Remember, God puts people in our paths for a reason, not for retaliation or retribution or harm or insult. Forgive as God forgave.
Patriotically Correct with Tanya 