Stung by the Bitterness Bee

Have you taken the bitterness bee stinger out? If not, you’re still being poisoned to death.

March’s Awakening, Day 1

Forgive or relive.

 —Author Unknown  

To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.

 —William H. Walton

Forgiveness does not change what has occurred, it takes the stinger out and cleanses the wound so that you can move forward and live.

 —E’yen A. Gardner, “Love Letters: 54 letters inspired by Love”

We all must be reminded that unforgiveness can creep into and lurk around the secret corners of our hearts, and we can give place to it without even recognizing what it is.

—Stormie Omartian  

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14–15 NIV    

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NIV  

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17 NIV 

            If you cannot fully forgive and fully forget in the sense that the effects of an offense against you have been neutralized, then you are holding a grudge against that individual which quickly will turn rancid into bitterness. Bitterness is an all-consuming poison within you that is exponentially more toxic than the offense of the sin itself. Bitterness will permeate every thought and desire and action, and will always present a skewed and distorted view and perspective that is not reality. You must realize that bitterness has no detrimental effect on the offender, only deleterious effects upon yourself. You have allowed yourself to be stung by the bitterness bee and the barbed stinger needs to be removed or the poison will continue to cause strife and pain. You need the Doctor to remove the stinger and give you the antidote for the poison—fully forgiving and releasing the event so it no longer controls you.  Bitterness is a self-inflicted wound that you must resolve to take action immediately to remedy the affliction and let yourself mend and heal. The longer bitterness remains, the more pervasive it becomes and the more difficult it is to remove and the longer it will take to heal. Holding a grudge does nothing but torture yourself. Forgive, let it go forever, and move on towards a healthier and happier life.