Bitter or Better

Lately almost daily God has been reminding me that with each day I have a choice to make; I can choose to be BITTER or BETTER. I know it sounds trite but it really is a simple choice that we each need to make.

I can awaken and be thankful for the blessings scattered throughout my life or I can allow myself to focus on the darkness that often evades my space. I can concentrate on the silky beauty of the rose petals; the glory of their beauty or I can dwell upon the ugly stem with its thorns, which prick my skin.

Each day, God hands you a Rose. Each day you have the option of how you will view it. Life is not all beauty, but neither is it all ugliness.

Jesus said, “IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIALS, BUT I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD”. So trials will come and with each trial, I will be tested, if I persevere with an attitude of gratitude my life will become sweeter and as I press against the burdens, I will ultimately become stronger and BETTER or I can allow the trails to crush me and I will, within my defeated frame of mind become BITTER. Bitterness will not allow me to escape the present heart-ache; however searching the redemption hidden within the trial will certainly help me to endure.

Life is never easy. Some days are better than others, some days are worse. We can, as the old hymn suggests; COUNT OUR BLESSINGS and be thankful for a single ray of hope engulfed in the world of darkness or we can keep a close account of every failed expectation, every disappointment and every accumulated sorrow. Such book-keeping will most certainly leave you feeling worse for your trouble.
Some years ago I was in the midst of losing everything, including my immediate family, as I sat with a Pastor he brought me back to reality. He said, at this point in your life you will either fall upon the One who is The Rock or this Rock of tribulation will fall upon you and crush you. It was a simple if, irrational choice, I could either thank God and fall upon Him or I could surrender and allow the weight of the trail to crush me; I chose to fall upon God.

A few nights later I found myself lying on the ground under the open night sky; as I was lying there looking at the beauty of the constellation I realized I was thanking God that I could freely serve Him; I had no restrictions, nothing more to lose through my obedience to Him and as the Word tells us “THOSE WHO CHRIST SETS FREE ARE FREE INDEED”. What can the enemy take from someone who has already lost it all? I didn’t know where I would be living. I still didn’t have a job or my family. I was out lying in an open field, but beneath that ebony blanket of twinkling stars I realized that I was the King’s Kid and I had nothing more to lose!

You can’t predict what will happen in your life today; neither can you prevent it, but you have a choice will you see the beauty of life or will you cast that beauty aside, afraid of thorns which surely accompany that beauty; the choice is yours, will you become BITTER OR BETTER?