Following Chapter 3 of How Can I Possibly Forgive?, Sara Horn discusses five ways to start letting go of bitterness right now.
1. Tell God how you’re feeling. When we keep ignoring the hard feelings about our vocation loss, they build up and grow bigger. Sara stresses that we need to make time to talk to God about how we’re feeling and ask for help letting go of the bitterness.
2. Recognize the importance of second chances. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the elder brother is a prime example of someone holding on to bitterness. He is unable to see past what he perceives is an unfair situation. When we find ourselves unable to see past the unfairness, we need to start counting our blessings.
3. Admit the sin you’re dealing with. Sara states that bitterness often masks or is symptomatic of other sins in our life. When we own up to what is imprisoning us, we open the door for God to work in us and change us.
4. Stop dwelling on what happened and repeating your story. Fixating on what happened seldom is a healthy approach, especially if our friends are more enablers than encouragers.
5. Rethink your thinking. Bitter attitudes and negative thoughts are meant for each other. Negative thoughts can be around for so long that we don’t even realize it. We must be intentional in reshaping and turning our thoughts to what God wants us thinking about (Philippians 4:8).
Today’s question: Which way(s) of letting go of bitterness resonate most with you? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Invisible scars”
