All Bitterness Erased

God sucker punched me again.

I was thinking about Christmas and how we miss the opportunity to share Christ at Christmas for one reason or other.  Now I don’t celebrate Christmas for various reasons and have gone through a number of developments in my stance on the issue.  It leaves me still not celebrating it, but all the more eager to take the opportunity to know how to share Christ during the season.  (I might blog further on it.  And I might not.)

As I was considering this point I was reminded of the episode in scripture where Jesus attends this Pharisee’s dinner party and then says to the host that rather than inviting those who can pay him back, he might as well invite those who are destitute, deprived and disengaged.  (CD Paraphrase.)  That is to say – really show love by giving it to those who are not in a capacity to give it back.

It was while I was thinking of this that I was struck again by what Jesus did – in terms of personifying that.  He who was God, dwelt among men in the flesh, died to wash away our sins and give us abundant life.  There is nothing we can do to even begin to repay Him.  He was so awesome and all we can do in response in live our thanksgiving.

That was not the sucker-punch.

I recalled how God had been faithful in allowing me to witness this kind of love in action where those who are on life’s edges are displayed Christ’s love in practical, emotional and heart-filled ways.  As we consider the next steps for us, I was taken to think again how much love drives us to give the best of ourselves for others with a pure heart from him.

As I dwelt on that thought of a pure heart, a phrase entered my head

All bitterness erased.

It was just that phrase.  Nothing more.  That is when the sucker-punch hit home.  The love of Jesus Christ is a pure life devoid of any bitterness.  Considering all I’ve done to him in being wayward, prone to wander and often wandering far from Him in thought, word and deed, He forgave me of all my sins.  He forgave me.  Without rancour, without murmur, without any hint of bitterness.

Not only that, but as I walk with Him, He grants the opportunity to exercise that same love with others.  To love them – with all bitterness erased.  As in the love that acknowledges the hurt and pain someone causes you, and yet you are still able to do good to them – to love them without resentment, contempt or bitterness.

Now I know for real, He certainly needs to equip me to love like that.  It’s all well and good loving people who love me.  Saying pleasant things to people who say pleasant things to me.  The real step of love is to express that love to the one who I was hoping would be there and have my back and let me down big time.  Worse still they may not even be remorseful of the deed.  They may go on regardless.  They may not have it in them to even ask for forgiveness, but this amazing love of God wipes out any bitterness I have in me, and allows me to be as compassionate as the Christ who died for me while I was still His enemy.

I know for real I need Him to equip me, because this bitterness thing is subtle but eventually devastating in how its a corrosive to engaging in healthy relationships.  This bitterness thing can justify dwelling on the hurt and injustice someone has caused you.  It can settle and fester and although to certain appearances you are your usual bright and cheery self, it lurks and eats away at any capacity you have for fulsome, genuine, heartfelt, God-breathed love.  I know what I’m talking about, when I say the results of this bitterness are usually more damaging for you than anyone else.

So to know that the love of God lifts me out of the pit that bitterness puts me in is quite the overwhelming feeling.  Indeed that feeling of being loved and forgiven of much and allowing that wipe out the bitterness is the best platform to engage with others especially those who are still struggling with bitterness.  The gift of loving others is intrinsic in everything that God enables us to do, and so if we are not using that love to bridge gaps that help people come other from hatred and resentment into forgiveness and cleansing, then we’re missing an opportunity to share Christ.

I thought about those words again – all bitterness erased – and to complete the circle it came from this song.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd