A Bitter Root

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My husband, Ken, and I learned an important lesson about dealing with conflict. We learned it ... the hard way. We were in a musical ministry of young adult twenty-somethings, on a tour bus, with a vigorous travel and performance schedule. We did our best to find space for our personal devotion time as well as group devotions and prayer. Despite our common spiritual ground we all came from different parts of the country, a variety of church denominations and unique family dynamics... and we disagreed from time to time. That's very normal and a vital skill we must learn as we mature is how to get along!

What we didn't realize was there was a shift happening within the group as two people began to create dissension among the group. It was subtle at first but within weeks had practically split the group in half. About a month later when we arrived at our home base of operation for a few days off, the disgruntled two had become five. They carried their belongings off the tour bus, said goodbye and told us they weren't coming back.

Looking back I'd like to believe we could have salvaged that team. There's nothing more important that loving God and each other. Jesus said ALL the law of the prophets hang on those two directives. Disagreements turn into hurt feelings that turn into bitterness. And bitterness impacts every single thing it touches. We might not see it at first; but, bitterness is insidious.

Hebrews 12:15 (NIV) is very direct. "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." It's important to keep short accounts. It's beneficial to have boundaries but within those boundaries don't give a foothold to bitterness. That's a tactic of the enemy to destroy us if we let him. Rather, the Apostle Paul said, focus on grace. The grace of God. It's a life-giving gift that He gives us and when we give grace we become a little more like Jesus as we do.

Read more devotions written by Denise Harper at Treasured Inside
https://deniseharper.blog

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