Hebrews 12: 14 – 15 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Friend, you and I have been called to be peacemakers and to be holy. But if we are not experiencing wholeness in our lives we can be neither of those. Things happen from time to time which can be so tragic or discouraging as to leave you feeling that you can never recover. The result is likely to be that you have no joy, no peace, and instead of a healthy perspective on life all you see is gloom. Do examine what you are feeling. Be totally honest with yourself. Are you broken or bitter, or both?

God binds up the bruised and broken, sends help in time of need, heals the sick and brings comfort to those who grieve. “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.” (Isaiah 42: 3 – 4). God is not looking to crush the life out of you, instead he wants you to reach out in faith and grab his hand so he can lift you back up. If you are grieving he understands your pain. He has sent the Comforter for such a time as this so you can lean on him for sustenance.

On the other hand, if you have allowed a root of bitterness to spring up against God, then you have work to do. You have to become a gardener – seek it out and pull it up by the roots. Bitterness against God is unbelief because it means that you have a form of godliness but you are denying his power to forgive and restore you. See to it that you do not miss the grace of God. His joy is your strength but you are wallowing in self-pity and will not let his light in. It is as though you are expecting God to apologize to you for what has happened. He will not because he is the Creator and you are the created. But he is standing in the wings waiting on you to release your pain to him.