June 1, 2010

• Bitter or Better

  "When we face life's difficulties we can grow bitter or better."  Michelle Duggar

  If ever there was a person who had the “right” to be bitter, it was Joseph.  The Bible tells us he was thrown into a pit and left for dead, sold into slavery, falsely accused of attempted rape, forgotten by his friends, and unjustly detained in a prison cell for many years.  And yet, after his release and subsequent appointment as governor of Egypt, he came face-to-face with the very brothers who caused his demise. Rather than give them the punishment they deserved, he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).  Joseph chose not to be bitter, but to allow his circumstances to make him better.  And with God’s help, we can do the same

  I love this poem found in The Book of Positive Quotations by John Cook: 

  The Hard Way

  For every hill I've had to climb, 
  For every stone that bruised my feet, 
  For all the blood and sweat and grime, 
  For blinding storms and burning heat, 
  My heart sings but a grateful song- 
  These were the things that made me strong.  

  The fact is that hurt is inevitable in relationships.  The only way to be better rather than bitter is to extend the same grace to others that God extended to us through Jesus Christ. 

   

  • 7:31 am
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