Freedom from Bitterness

Do you know anyone who is being eaten up inside by bitterness? They need to know that forgiveness sets them free. That’s what a European friend of ours learned when the bottom dropped out of her marriage. Eight years ago her husband announced, “I’m tired of you.” And he rattled off all sorts of hurtful lines.

He left her and took off with another woman. For the first few months after the split, the wife felt terrible anger — and rightly so. But, one Christmas Day she telephoned my wife from Europe. “I’m free, I’m free!” she cried, “I forgave him!” She had finally decided that her bitterness and anger were destroying her. She told us, “Just as God in Christ has forgiven me, I forgive him. And I feel so free!”

Colossians 3:13 says, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Let’s reach out to our friends and tell them there’s a two-fold solution for escaping their cage of bitterness: Accept the forgiveness of God through His Son, Jesus Christ, that’ #1 – and then, #2 – forgive the person who has wronged you.