Honest Thoughts from a Pastor

When I started blogging in 2015, I had no idea what I was doing. Little did I know I was blinded by the true state of where I was as a person. I would impulsively blog whatever came to my mind and hit “publish”. My original blog was a hit with a lot of people. Thankfully, there were a few who lovingly called me out on my bitter undertones (and a few who weren’t so loving).

Bitterness and a social media platform are not a great blend. While social media can be a beautiful thing, many have used it as a platform to rant and rave about their ex, their old church, their former boss, or whoever made them mad or deeply hurt them. A private journal is just as effective in venting those thoughts. The only difference is your private journal doesn’t give you an audience.

Another effective resource in helping you with bitterness is a counselor. This counselor doesn’t necessarily have to be a professional, but a trained person is most helpful when your bitterness has multiple layers. While social media will give you some validation, it isn’t so helpful for every Jim, Bob, and Nancy to weigh in on your issues, especially in the world of Twitter. Most of your audience probably doesn’t even know or care about you, and the likelihood of them being as bitter as you are (if not more so) is most likely the case.

When you and I are bitter, we need healing. First, we need the healing of God to soften our bitter hearts and kill the root of bitterness in our life. Second, we need the people of God who genuinely love us to help facilitate that healing. If you are living in genuine biblical community, you should have that support system. If you do not have authentic biblical community, find it. Turn over every rock to seek it! I promise you it’s worth it!

If you find yourself in that bitter place today, lay it at the feet of Jesus. It may be a longer process than you wish to endure, but your healing matters to God. When you process your bitterness the right way, the cleanup is a lot less.

Signed,

The voice of experience