Keep the Bitter Out

It is cold outside today. I mean don't go out there cold. But here in my home it is snug and warm. Sure, there are drafts here and there, where the frigid creeps in. Those are spots that need to be insulated, blocked, protected.

The weather and my house sort of remind me of the condition of my own life from time to time. Bitterness is out there, waiting to get in. With all my efforts to keep my heart warm and  snug, the biting winds can still seep into my vulnerable areas.

Then: bitterness.

Bitterness is born and raised by a parent called Unforgiving.

I could say that any bitterness I've experienced has been because someone else has done me wrong. And while maybe that is true at times, I don't think that would do me any good. This world is full of wrong. He does it, she does it, they do it. I do it. It's the sad truth.

So within the reality of me and everyone else getting hurt in this life, what are we to do? Forgiveness is the only answer I can come up with that will keep the bitterness out.

I need to insulate, block, protect myself from being unforgiving. That is not to say I promote being a doormat. Letting others walk all over me, wiping their feet on me. But you don't need to be a doormat to get hurt. You just need to be human.

So today, it's cold outside. In nature and in my own life. But, like my home, my heart is snug and warm. I am choosing to forgive. To stuff a chunk of pardon into the spots that need insulating, a piece of mercy in the spots that need to be blocked, and a whole lot of grace in the areas that need protecting.