Bitter Soul

 

It's strange, the things you think about at a funeral. My grandmother passed away last Sunday at the age of 88. I recalled a time, when I was just a small boy, visiting her during the summer. It was hot, and I was thirsty. On the top shelf of the fridge were these very small cans of juice. I never had pineapple juice before and to my great delight, it was delicious. In fact, if memory serves, I had at least another couple before I left. My next visit, I went straight to the fridge, opened the can and turned it up and then almost threw up. I ran to the sink and spit the rest out and tried to flush the taste out of my mouth. Some people (including my grandparents apparently) like the taste of grapefruit juice. But, when you’re a boy, expecting the sweetness of pineapple, grapefruit is a dreadful surprise.

 

Grapefruit juice may be the opposite of pineapple. One is very sweet, the other very bitter. Grapefruit has a bite, it's a hard, pungent taste. We can think about the bitterness of the soul the same way.  Notice how Paul, after contrasting the walk of the world to walking in the spirit, concludes this section in Ephesians 4:31-32, by setting bitterness against the Christian spirit, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Bitterness of soul is the opposite of being kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.

 

A bitter person starts out angry. It could be justified, someone could have sinned against them. It could be unjustified, or they could be angry about some perceived injustice that didn't really happen. Some people have sinful anger at funerals, because their loved one is gone, and they don't like it. When anger is never dealt with, it sits on the shelf of your heart and spoils. God gave us anger for a reason. Anger causes you to react, and it's true purpose is to do good,  whether to defend the helpless, to defend the faith, or to bring people to justice. Though sinful anger doesn't have a righteous purpose, it still has to be dealt with. Anger (good or bad) doesn't have a long shelf  life, so when you hang on to it, feed it, think about it, your anger grows, spoils, and turns to bitterness.

 

If someone sins against you and they don't pay, there's no catharsis. You hang on to that anger, waiting for the day of wrath. Then you are bitter and will start being bitter about everything. A Christian, who has been forgiven of great sins ought not to have a bitter soul. The scowl of a bitter person doesn't match tenderheartedness. Bitterness will never pass with time, you have to "put it away" by turning to Christ. Repent, believe and be set free.