Today I was talking with a dear old [and in some ways new] friend, and we got to talking about the past. About the way things had been, things that were said, things that were done [or not done]. We talked about how we view ourselves and how others view us and why things happened the way the did. We mourned our losses and chalked so much up to "it is what it is." And in the end, this is what we concluded: we cannot become bitter.
Even when we are tempted to hold onto our hurts and our failures. Even when it feels good to hold a grudge or get revenge. Even when we feel justified in our pain. We have to choose to walk away with the lessons, the learning, the growth, and leave the bitterness and "justified" hurt behind. God has so much bigger things for us when we are free to fully love and invest, and that can't come out of bitterness. It has to come out of a place of acceptance, forgiveness, and security in Christ.
