“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?

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