There are so many people in today’s society that live a bitter life. Bitterness has become so prevalent that is has morphed into words associated with normalcy and is used to describe experiences that are life changing. We have phrases such as bitter sweet, bitter end, bitter pill to swallow. Bitterness does not have to be your state, in fact it is possible to transcend from bitter to beautiful.
So what is Bitterness one might ask? According to the dictionary, bitter in reference to taste is considered to be sour, pungent. The same words can be used to describe someone of a bitter state emotionally, they are said to be angry, unhappy, pessimism resentful, and unforgiving. This state of bitterness is usually triggered by an event or trauma that led to some emotional and spiritual damage. This transference of emotion from the pain or trauma onto everyday life and its subsequent interactions, manifest into what one would call the bitter spirit. This leaves of discontented, which skews our perception and blocks out ability to see the purpose behind the pain, and the beauty just beyond the bitter. We encapsulate our entire lives to one moment, instead of remaining in the present and clinging tightly to the hope and optimism of a new day. At the present we may see much pain and brokenness, but we must hold fast the consummation of it all so that we can yet taste the beauty that lies beyond. It is this beauty that many of our ancestors of old craved more than water on a desert like day, and it is yet the satiation that this beauty could provide to the soul, that motivated them to continue on despite the bitter moments of life.
Life and the many circumstances that meet you there lead to a variety of feelings and emotions. While we expect everyday to be a day full of joy and happiness, the reality is, this is not true for everyday. Each day is new. We become complacent in our routines, that each day may seem the same; but it is not and this means that there is certain preparation that must ensure in order for us to be able to embrace the beautiful moments, even out of the bitter days. Even as Christians, there is the expectation that we will live a life with no bumps, hurdles, or thorns. We expect perfection and accommodation from everything around us. This haughty expectation is the reason that Christians often renounce the faith when trials arise, because somewhere along the way their exposure was limited to only the prosperity gospel and they were ill prepared for the cross-moments, the crucifixion moments, the moments where faith is the only sustaining power that helps you to maintain hope when all else has failed. Tell me, how did it come to pass that we expect only the good and beautiful and we get so discouraged and —when our expectations are not met. Are we truly being honest when we say we trust God, and quote scriptures such as all things will work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. How is it that we can be super-spiritual when all is going well but so easily take off our religion and become indignant when a moment of oppression begins. Is it not God that makes all things beautiful. Is it not God that sends the character shaping winds of change into our lives to chip and carve away at the edges that needs to be refined, to blow somethings out of our lives for a time, and to utterly destroy other areas in our lives that serve us no other purpose that to destroy and hold the plan of God for our lives. Who told you the definition of beauty? What human led you to believe that they are the author of beauty and the standard to which is is judged? I contend to you today that beauty, and the definition of beauty cannot be conjured by the mere mind of man except only through the divine unction and supernatural sight of the Holy Spirit.
Most of what we define today as beautiful is attached to the enemy devices of lust, fornication, and idolatry. Our perceived frailties and differences are seen as defects more than aspects of our uniqueness, and we work so hard to mask ourselves because of the perception of others regarding our “flaws” not realizing they are not flaws at all. God’s perception of beauty was conceptualized and made manifest through humanity. All of humanity is made in the image of God, and His response to you is that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that you are the apple of His eye.
Authored by Sha'Leda Mirra (subject to Copyright, 2018)
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