The Taste of Bitterness

This weekend I spent some time in Chicago with various friends trying new things. One of those things was going to a sushi bar. Now mind you, I'm not a fish fan by any stretch, so it was truly odd that I'd be willing to try it raw. But I've been itching to travel down uncharted territory, so I thought why not. One of the entrees I tried was called 'Dragon' which was really BBQ eel. You ever have one of those things you try to eat and it just keeps growing in your mouth? Well, by the time I swallowed it, I would have bet it weighed a couple of pounds! Unfortunately, the taste of that minute piece of seafood remained in my mouth for a couple of days...

It reminded me of the taste of bitterness in my life. It has a way of growing after taking the tiniest bite and leaving a lasting effect on my life for some time to come. I've been experiencing such a time of late. Very subtly I have taken my eyes off of Christ and placed them on me ~ my wants, my desires, my 'rights'. That slow fade starts and quickly turns into a spiral downward into bitterness. I hate it. Yet, I am praising God that He has been training me to spot it sooner in my life. I praise Him that He has gifted me with strong, no nonsense believers who hold me accountable for my walk. Yes, I am still struggling with the whys and the negative attitude, but I am hopeful that by this time tomorrow, the residual taste of bitterness will be a thing of the past.

Eph. 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.