Winning Over Bitterness

This article is part 3 of 6 in the series Winning Over Bitterness

                  “The Doorway To Healing”  
   Many doctors admit that both our physical and mental health suffers from long held bitterness. It also affects relationships, interferes with your work, our sleep. Ultimately bitterness “will kill you”. “I WILL NEVER FORGIVE!” are words that come from a heart truly in danger. Because this attitude gives Satan a ‘foothold’ in life,  that can be devastating. It is not easy to deal with, there are no quick fixes, no special medicine… but there is a ‘door’ which leads to healing. Many have missed this, and over-simplified the process of healing by saying, “Just forgive!” However, this is not the answer! 
   Actually dad used to approach this subject this way. One Sunday afternoon he was approached by a middle aged woman took him by the hand and said, “You’re not preaching this right!” They sat together in a private area of the building and he said, “If I am not teaching this principle right, then please help me!” Her response opened his eyes to a more accurate understanding of the word and the action of forgiveness, and changed his lesson on this subject from then on…
   “Forgiveness is not the answer”, she said.  “It is only the door through which one must pass”.  Forgiveness does not heal, nor mollify the wound.  It is not the simple snap of the fingers, or the simple solutions of hurt.  Forgiveness is a door through which each one of us must pass which ALLOWS THE HEALING TO BEGIN AND THE WOUND TO BE CLOSED.  Unless we pass this door, no healing can even begin to occur, no love or friendship can be restored.  Forgiveness is not the power – it is the key that opens the door to the power.”
   They talked a good while and her simple words changed dad’s thinking.  He said,  “No more would I tolerate the snap judgment of “Forgive and forget it”, “or don’t let it bother you”, or “just put it out of your mind”. 
   Don’t try to ‘just forget it’ – deal with it, learn from it.  Bitterness is nothing more than life that has not been dealt with nor ‘released’. We eat our daily bread and the body is revived and continues to grow and live. Our mind is somewhat different than our physical body.  Things enter our mind though our eyes and ears and feelings that cannot be digested. A wise old sage one said, “There are only two great truths in living life successfully.  Know what to hold on to and what to release.”  
   Life finds no release unless you pass through the door of forgiveness first. If I cut my arm, it may take weeks or months for healing. The same is true with the mind. Some things can be forgiven with ease and comfort for the act was unintentional. Other wounds may take months and years to heal.” 
   We are dealing with something which takes FORGIVENESS PLUS TIME, not just TIME or DISTANCE. “Just forgive!” Sounds Biblical, while ‘time only’, makes the problem (wound) just get worse. DISTANCE (out of sight, out of mind) doesn’t heal the heart. Like cancer,  if undetected, over time, gets much worse. 
   Healing can begin with forgiveness, and over time, get better.

 

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