Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will guide your path.
– The Bible
~~~
Photo credit: schmollmolch / Foter / CC BY
Month: December 2014
how not to be bitter.
I have had reasons to be bitter. In fact, every so often, I can feel bitterness trying to sneak up on me. Let’s face it – there are plenty of good reasons why we can get bitter. Life can be very unfair.
So how can you resist, avoid, and rid yourself of bitterness?
Trust. If you are familiar with the Bible, there are scriptures about forgiving, turning the other cheek, and going the extra mile. I wasn’t able to do these things well until I decided to do what God asks us to do: trust Him with all our heart. It has made all the difference. God says there will be a day when he makes things right and he will wipe away our tears once and for all. This settles it for me. It helps me to accept what I cannot change.
Acknowledge. I’ve hurt people. I’ve said things and done things I shouldn’t have. Bitterness will have a hard time finding a place in you when you admit to your own faults.
Nothing is new under the sun. What you have faced, others have faced, too. That doesn’t make it hurt less, but it opens our eyes to the bigger picture. Bitterness makes us spend too much time looking at the smaller picture and keeping us miserable.
Be free.
~~~
Photo credit: h.koppdelaney / Foter / CC BY-ND
bitterness.
Sometimes our pain can make us bitter.
Our hearts become infected because of wounds inflicted (or perceived to be inflicted) by others.
While it is understandable, it must be prevented because it’s only going to hurt you. It is a strong, negative emotion.
How do you know you’re bitter?
- Seeing or even just hearing the person’s name who has offended you makes you seethe inside. Ever feel it? I have.
- You replay the tape. Over and over and over.
- If you find out something good has happened to that person, it aggravates you.
Bitterness eats away at you.
Next time, “how to stop being bitter”.
Photo credit: geezaweezer / Foter / CC BY
friday quote.
light.
Where am I going?
I am baffled.
I was headed there. I was certain of it.
But when it happened, everything changed.
And now I am here.
It’s cold. Everything looks dismal. This is not where I want to be.
Then I looked up. I saw the light. It is the one thing that is constant. It’s always there. Even when I cannot see it.
And it will guide me.
~~~~
Photo courtesy: h.koppdelaney / Foter / CC BY-ND
make a difference.
“While wandering a deserted beach at dawn … I saw a man in the distance bending and throwing as he walked the endless stretch toward me. As he came near, I could see that he was throwing starfish, abandoned on the sand by the tide, back into the sea.
When he was close enough I asked him why he was working so hard at this strange task. He said that the sun would dry the starfish and they would die. I said to him that I thought he was foolish. there were thousands of starfish on miles and miles of beach. One man alone could never make a difference. He smiled as he picked up the next starfish.
Hurling it far into the sea he said, “It makes a difference for this one.”
– Loren Eiseley
Make a difference for someone, even if you are the one who is hurting.
~~~
Photo credit: Elena Kalis / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
when it hurts 