Being honest and open about the bitter aspects of this life has a way of quickly bringing us to the end of ourselves. That can be a good thing if we will then admit our inability to handle life on our own and turn to Christ in repentance and faith. But the problem is that many of us don’t know how to do this. According to psalm 51:10 we are encouraged to take time to reflect on our lives and see the work that God is doing in our heart to conform us into the image of His Son. Self-reflection can be incredibly convicting. The reminder of where bitterness starts can cause us to ask penetrating questions about the impact we are having on the people around us. Bitter circumstances do not happen because we are sinners, bitter circumstances come upon us because we live in a sin cursed world. Our self-reflection, enables us to understand that circumstances are permitted by the Lord in order to allow us to see what we have learned in our journey through this life. What is important is not what we have accumulated, or what it is that we think we may be losing through the circumstances of life. What is important is what we develop in the heart level of our lives. Self-reflection, can allow us to learn to become content (Philippians 4:11) in the midst of our circumstances, recognizing that it is the Lord’s desire to allow those things to mold us into the image of His Son. Today, allow the bitter circumstances of your life produce sweet fruit in your heart.
