Vol. 9, No. 1 |
January 2007 |
~ Page 12 ~ |
Have you ever opened your refrigerator only to discover that something in there has... well ...spoiled? You may not be able to identify the source of the odor (at least at first), but it's all too apparent that some sort of food item has gone bad. And whatever it is, it's been in there far too long and now it's soured.
So what do you do? Leave the moldy item in the refrigerator? Of course not. You've got only one option--clean it out thoroughly. Find the source of the smell, then throw it out, and finally wipe the interior clean.
Perhaps you've never thought of it this way, but bitterness is sort of like spoiled food in the refrigerator. It's simply aggravation that has been left in the heart too long and then gone bad.
Do you have a problem with bitterness? Empty the refrigerator; find the source of the offending odor, and then dump it in the garbage. Isn't that what the Bible says...? "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you..." (Ephesians 4:31; cf. Psalm 19:12). Think about it.