Paul says in this passage to get rid of “all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander”, and says instead to “be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as Christ has forgiven you.”
Q: Which, if any, of these areas do you struggle with?
A: Man, I so have issues with most of this stuff. It is hard not to be easily angered with so many stupid people and bad drivers in this world. I think being kind to each other is, and forgiving one another is the key here. Everyone is prone to bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander at times and what we should do is work to minimize these times by allowing the love of Christ to flow through us. If we are walking around trying to fool ourselves by thinking that these things are absolutely inevitable and we can do nothing to change it we will just end up angry and bitter speaking harsh words about everyone. In life, we don’t have to look far to find a reason to dislike someone….like take my hatred of bad drivers. It is easy to hate someones actions when you don’t have to see them for very long, so bitterness is unlikely, cuz it is like bam, and then I’m over it. But for the longer lasting kind of stuff we have to turn to Jesus, and forgive people as he forgives us. I’ve seen many Christians that are always looking for a reason to dislike the pastor, or dislike the church, or dislike someone around town. Those are typically very bitter and angry people, these are also always the people with all the dirt to dish. So if you are reading this and you typically are looking for information to hold against people, if you want to know things about people because it makes you feel powerful…if you are the one who has to know all the rumors, you might want to take a look at the rest of your life. Are you angry, do you feel like people purposefully stop talking when you walk in a room, do you give people a chance to seriously get to know you or do you judge them based on a select few of your encounters with them. If you fit any of these descriptions you might want to read this passage again and really really think about what you are holding in your heart. For everyone else, you still should re-read this passage too, because there is an area here that we could all do better at. And all of us will not reach our maximum tenderheartedness and kindness without the help of Holy Spirit in our lives.
OK, that is enough….I need to sleep, it is stupid that I am still up, I should have slept to hours ago…..stupid stupid stupid……OK, I’m done with beating myself up…on to bed.