Better Not Bitter

You'd have to know my dad.  He's just one of those upbeat guys who never seems to get depressed.  His sense of humor is incredible, and with one retarded laugh or silly phrase, he can turn any situation into a positive one.  I have watched him stabbed in the back by family, friends, preachers...and even me.  And while many in his shoes have become embittered to the Lord and Christianity,  I have watched my dad grow stronger.  Your haters can make you better, if you don't let them make you bitter.

The last year of my life has been greatly used by God to help me empathize with but a fraction of my Father's history.  When I would get down and discouraged,  or actively wishing to seek justice and vengeance on God's behalf, my dad always reminded me "You just have to outlive them."  This phrase has no singular meaning,  it applies to near every situation.  Those who live a life of sin, whether they are in ministry or not, age quickly.  Their life becomes so self-centric that they quickly lose friends, and the thing they hold most dear...control.  In many cases,  God introduces tragedy into the life of an attacker to shift their perspective to one of a helpless nature, desperately pleading for God's mercy and grace.  I've watched this happen time and time again, from financial crisis to physical extremes like strokes.  Nowadays, I find myself on my knees pleading the same grace and mercy God has given me over my attackers,  interceding on behalf of their lives and the lives of their families.

It's not always easy...and people are people.  Today God gave a gentle reminder in the morning hours as to why "evil" can befall the life of one seeking righteousness.  Before you get bitter,  allow God to transform your perspective of tests.  In the heat of the battle,  here is why we stay faithful: 

1. You've got to let people be people.

This simplistic, elementary phrase goes deep when I remember that I'm a "people" too. Ministry would be great if it weren't for people...but  I make the same mistakes.  I struggle with the same sins.  My flesh is just as fleshly as my greatest enemy.  But for the grace of God,  I would be in their exact shoes.  People are people, and we all have a past.  Acts 10:34 reminds us that God is no respecter of persons.  We have all sinned and daily fall short of God's matchless glory.  God's grace is just as accessible to my hater as it is to me when I sin.

2.  God will not remove what He will not replace.

We get attached too easily to people, places, and plenty.  Relationships become priority over a walk with God, developing a lifestyle of idolatry.  When those things disappear, we find ourselves in a helpless state.  What will I do without that person?  How will I continue on without that thing?  Can I even live apart from this place?  GOOD NEWS:  God has a habit of taking away the mediocre and replacing it with excellence.  Sure,  the removal process is painful,  but the end result is beyond worth  it.  Of  Thank God not only for what He gives, but for what he takes; for often the "good" is only realized when faced with the "great." 

3.  The calling of God surpasses the criticism of man.

Let's face it.  We are not perfect,  and at times our attackers are provoked by mistakes of our own cause.  That does not make them right,  it makes them human.  Sometimes people don't understand our calling.  People will always question what they cannot conceive.  That's why God gave YOU that calling and not them.  When I examine the life of Joseph, I find that dreams can be the pits, even when they come directly from God.  Joseph did not let that slow him down.  It took some time,  but God's calling and dream surpassed every ounce of criticism from the majority.

4.  Worry is nothing more than worship of self. 

I like for people to like me, and a when people don't, it bothers me! Additionally, I like to have everything under control and figured out.  "The unknown" goes directly against the fiber of my controlling nature.  My worry is a lack of trust in God.  My self-centric worry declares that my problem is too great or unique for God to handle. Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In ALL thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)  Worry vanishes in an atmosphere of complete worship and trust.

5.  Your haters can make you better if they don't make you bitter.

I mentioned this principle in the introduction of this article.  Follow me long enough and you will read it hundreds more times.  Haters love to highlight issues.  Don't dismiss these based on the source.  If they are right,  then fix the issues!  If they are wrong,  examine their motive for saying those things.  If you demonize a man, you will never understand his motives.  Take extra precaution in those areas,  and pray.  Pray because what we highlight in others if often what we hate about ourself.