Chili's and Bitterness

One:
Okay, I sound like an old Chili's commercial today, because I'm walking around singing -

"I get my baby back, baby back baby back..... I get my baby back, baby back, baby back!"

I'm going to pick up Jamie today! Yay! I've missed the little booger! I talked to Dad on the phone last night, and apparently Jamie has been working on Papaw's heart. He asked if Jamie could stay the whole summer! I said, "But I miss him so much!" Then I told Dad that I needed Jamie back for a couple of weeks, but that he'd be back again this summer. So Jamie's medication seems to have had several good effects: 1) it's improved his concentration and grades in school, and 2) it has improved his relationship with Papaw, too. But what has helped most of all is God! I've prayed everyday that God watch over Jamie and Papaw and allow them to be forgiving of each other's quirks!

Two:
I went to church Wednesday night, and the message was one I definitely needed to hear. The message was about "The Root of Bitterness" from Hebrews 12:14-15:

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; withoutholiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses thegraceof God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defilemany"(NIV)

He also mentioned several other verses that talk about bitterness or anger but I won't go into detail on those in the interest of time (and me getting a decent amount of rest tonight!) But the point of all this was, that if we don't rid ourselves of our hurt feelings, it can turn into bitterness. Then this bitterness, if allowed to live in our hearts, will turn to anger. It is a "sin of the heart" he said, because it can put up interference between you and God. You can be the most rational person, calm and cool, but if you have bitterness in your heart, there's no telling when (or how) it will manifest itself one day. And this bitterness keeps you from hearing and serving the Lord. This bitterness also interferes in our relationships with others - our friendships, our ability to build lifelong partnerships, it even interferes with our ability to love ourselves enough to be able to love others. That's what truly shocked me!

I had never thought of this before. I am working to turn my life over to Christ, yet I still have a lot of bitterness and insecurities. By not dealing with them, I'm setting myself up for failure. So now I know to pray that I find the strength to let go of these insecurities and bitterness!