{"id":746,"date":"2015-05-27T12:43:23","date_gmt":"2015-05-27T12:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/howgreatthoupart\/?p=746"},"modified":"2015-05-27T12:43:23","modified_gmt":"2015-05-27T12:43:23","slug":"why-bitterness-and-spirituality-cant-co-exist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/howgreatthoupart\/2015\/05\/why-bitterness-and-spirituality-cant-co-exist.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Bitterness and Spirituality Can’t Co-Exist"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am chatting with someone and in between bites of lunch we talk about life and the future.<\/p>\n

I can tell this persons world view has changed. If anyone can recognize the signs of bitterness it is me. Somehow we think we are self-protecting when we turn towards bitterness. The ‘I will never let another person hurt or mistreat me again’ mantra.<\/p>\n

Quite the contrary, we are not self-protecting. We are self-sabatoging. <\/p>\n

We are robbing the world of who we originally are. The person who God made us to be before life bruised us. We are losing sight of the fact that life is about letting those bruises heal not avoiding them.<\/p>\n

In fact, while we indignantly believe we are sending those who hurt us a message in bitterness it is quite the contrary – we are allowing them to continue to hurt us.<\/p>\n

I say this often. I also say it with some embarrassment because I always considered myself a person of great faith. A quality that I attribute to my mother who was most definitely a spiritual giant in the face of many obstacles.<\/p>\n

I was bitter.<\/p>\n

I was bitter for nearly two years.<\/p>\n

Two of the unhappiest years of my life. <\/p>\n

The poor Colleen years.<\/p>\n

The life isn’t fair why me years?<\/p>\n

Then one day, by the grace of God I had an epiphany. I sat in my marriage counselors office and shook my head as I disclosed my realization that I had in fact not found bitterness for the past two years. I had lost spirituality.<\/p>\n

Spirituality is grace.<\/p>\n

A grace that crushes any type of bitterness. A truly spiritual person is certainly capable of feeling temporarily bitter or sorry for themselves. We are human after all. However, with great spirituality it is impossible to let that emotion continue. Why? Because if we really have faith then we hold onto the belief that everything in our life is happening for a reason. Both the good and the bad. <\/p>\n

Spirituality refuses to co-exist with bitterness.
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I am chatting with someone and in between bites of lunch we talk about life and the future. I can tell this persons world view has changed. If anyone can recognize the signs of bitterness it is me. Somehow we think we are self-protecting when we turn towards bitterness. 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