Rooting Out Bitterness: The Power of Forgiveness

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 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 (Hebrews 12:14-15)

The weed was small, and I let it grow.

I thought the tiny flowers and delicate leaves were pretty, so I ignored the weed when it first appeared in my garden.  I even hoed around it, enjoying the tiny red flowers that covered it.

After a few days though, I saw my mistake.  The vine of the tiny, delicate weed had started to wrap itself around the stalks of my vegetable plants.  Very quickly it became a battle of life and death.  The weed, unknown to me, had deep roots that were not evidenced in its miniscule leaves.  When I attempted to pull it up, it disturbed the roots of the plants I was trying to save, and its vine continued to engulf my vegetables.

That weed was a persistent problem for me all summer, and I struggled constantly to keep it from devouring my vegetables. 

I should have dealt with it when it first appeared.

Bitterness is like that.

It may begin as a small hurt that causes anger, but without forgiveness that anger can fester.  I may even revisit and cherish the anger, feeling justified in my hurt.  All the while, the roots of bitterness begin to penetrate my soul like a cancer, sapping energy and destroying joy.  Bitterness warps the heart. 

Soon, blessings appear mundane and trivial misdeeds consume my focus and overshadow all of life. Joy fades.

Paul warned about allowing bitterness to take root in the heart.  He lumped it together with wrath, anger, malice, and evil speaking, all things he warned the Ephesians to discard (Ephesians 4:31). He had a reason.

Bitterness hardens the heart.

Bitterness grows from unresolved anger.  Whether justified or not, when anger sits without resolution it sours into bitterness, like milk left on a countertop.

Unresolved anger – bitterness – lies at the heart of depression and hatred.  Modern treatments for these maladies resemble the antidote given by Paul:  acknowledge the anger, confront its source when possible, and most importantly, forgive.

Knowing the remedy and acting upon it, though, are entirely different.  To begin the process of uprooting my bitterness, I must acknowledge my own responsibility in letting it grow.  I also must release my assumed right for revenge or payment. 

This then puts in my hand the spade of forgiveness, which alone can uproot the tentacles of bitterness.

Forgiveness frees me from bitterness and allows me to move forward in my Father’s will. The spade of forgiveness is a powerful tool, and it is the only one that can conquer the root of bitterness.

If I fail to use the spade of forgiveness, I will continue to fight the root of bitterness in my heart just as I fought that wretched weed in my garden. The good fruit that God wants to grow in me will gradually be strangled as the root of bitterness grows freely.

The choice is mine. God has given me the remedy for bitterness. A life of forgiveness is the only way.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32, KJV).

Father, help me to recognize the weeds of unforgiveness before they sink their roots in my heart. Let my heart imitate your heart each day. Help me to be quick to forgive as you have so graciously forgiven me.