“Bitterness is the enemy of love because it makes you unforgiving and unwilling to give love unconditionally.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2006-11-14) from his book, Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (Kindle Location 224). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Pain is such a horrible thing for so many people. Now it is something that can be your enemy or your friend. It is all in how you view it but it is for sure something that you can’t ignore.

Pain as an enemy drives people to excessive use of something that will mask it, dull it but as a friend it leads

to finding the cause so something can be done about it. Pain as a friend is a red light that there is a problem. If we don’t see it as a friend that leads us to the cause then it can potentially lead to death.

Pain in a relationship not dealt with can lead to bitterness which can damage ones potential to love and be loved. That is what is happening today inside of so many very lonely hurting people. If they would just stop and seek the cause then they could look for the cure. Emotional pain is very real and its cause is usually an action by another individual.

When Margaret and I first got married we tried to live by the principle to never go to bed angry. That meant that we had some long nights until we would resolve whatever the problem was. And that mean there was no lasting pain that came from the situation.

But there was a time that we quit doing that and our relationship was deeply damaged. I did something that hurt Margaret very deeply and I didn’t stop and acknowledge where I was wrong and then to take care of the problem until one day I saw what it was doing to her and in turn to us. The resolving of the pain started with me being honest about what I did and asking for her forgiveness. It took a long time before she really forgave me for hurting her but she eventually believed me that I meant it when I said I was wrong and she then forgave me.

Through my asking for and her giving forgiveness the bitterness gave way to love. The pain led to the cause and then to finding a cure.

So where is your pain taking you?

Comments

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because God is good He will use e

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who have messed

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident. In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose. In other words you are not an accident. I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth. In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man. And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ” Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like? Like that characteristic is a curse or something. Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God. Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Jesus did answer the question about the blind

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog