Bitter, Party of One

A few years ago we use to have a saying at one of my former workplaces for times when somebody complained about an unfair situation. The complainer would be chided with this not-so-sympathetic comment: "Here comes bitter, party of one".

Face it, no one enjoys being around a bitter person. Nothing kills a festive occasion or a positive experience like a person with a sour disposition or someone who is constantly whining or complaining. And for the bitter person, the worst thing is that they almost always are oblivious to the damage they cause themselves--relationally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Charles Stanley once said, "Bitterness is a poison that we concoct for someone else that we wind up drinking ourselves." Hebrews 12:15 reminds us that when the root of bitterness springs up, it causes trouble and defiles us. Since God's mercy to us is unconditional, how can we ever justify harboring any bitterness toward others?

This is serious business for God's men. There are over 300 warnings in Scripture about anger and bitterness and probably the clearest one is found in Ephesians 4:31--Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Allowing any of these emotions to take up residence in our heart has the spiritual effect of rolling out the welcome mat for Satan to enter in. Our testimony to others is too important to allow this to happen. Make "bitter, party of one" an invitation we always decline.