Day 82 - Bitterness Leads to Resentment

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Bitterness Leads to Resentment Day 82 Other families around you are still together—happy and oblivious to your brokenness and pain. Why me and not you? you might be wondering. Your wondering can turn into bitterness and resentment. Dr. Robert Jeffress says, “There can almost be a resentment on the part of Christians against other Christians who may not be going through grief. ‘Why aren’t they experiencing what I’m experiencing? Why is God picking on me?’” Many problems can arise from the improper handling of your emotions during grief. You can’t avoid having the emotions, but how you respond to them will determine whether you proceed in a healthy manner or are doomed to unnecessary detours on your grief journey. Ultimately, unless you deal with the issues behind your emotions, your life may be moved toward bitterness and resentment. “I loathe my own life: I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul,” Job complained at first. But then he changed his focus and persevered in faith and trust: “I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted…. Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 10:1, 42:2, 6 NASB). Turn to God, who knows the bitterness in your heart and wants to replace it with His loving comfort. Lord of all, forgive my bitterness and resentment and fill me instead with the love, peace, and trust that only You can provide. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755