Moving Beyond Bitterness

Our shared biography cost 50¢
but now a new copy is available 
online for over $800!

With the deadline looming for the blog posting, this memory of  Clara Barton's experience of overcoming bitterness popped into my mind, causing me to locate this elementary-level biography of one of America's most famous nurses from the book shelf. (I had written about bitterness in the blog for 10/04/2020.)  Mother let me order it from the Scholastic Book Club in 1967. An inscription inside has my name and the date. Angie and I shared everything so you notice her name is on the front upper right corner of the paperback book.

This week I spotted the area where the old stump had stood for many, many years. What joy to see that grass is flourishing, even in this season of drought!

As I walked back to the house, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, came to mind. Immediately, after seeing her Civil War- era photograph in my mind, I recalled hearing of Barton’s dealing with the battle against bitterness.

Luis Palau, the late Argentinian evangelist, wrote in his book, Experiencing God’s Forgiveness, of Barton’s approach to bitterness and forgiveness. Palau wrote of an egregious offense against Clara Barton being brought into a conversation many years after the wrong was done to her. When someone tried to reopen old wounds, Palau wrote that one of the most renowned 19^th century women, Clara Barton responded, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.” Clara Barton assured the person she had made a choice to forget the wrong done to her. The case had closed for this famous American woman on that chapter of bitterness in her life.

Clara Barton, nicknamed the Angel of the Battlefield, learned to let go of offensive actions targeted against her. Her release of the bitterness and hurt enabled her strength and effort to be exerted on positive, life-effecting, and societal-altering endeavors.

As I reflected on Barton’s response, focusing on praising God for forgiving our own sins turns us away from an obsession with our offender’s sin. Instead, we begin to clearly see our own shocking sins that  have been committed purposefully with rebellious hearts.  At other times, we have sinned because of our thoughtless, casual neglect of obeying His principles, almost imposing impudently and willfully on His loving forgiveness.

Meditating on the overarching truth that we have been forgiven becomes the only way to minimize the offenses others have committed. When we maximize the undeserved mercy, grace, and forgiveness He has given to us, our hearts are overwhelmed with thankfulness for God’s lavish compassion toward us. Then He takes the bitterness away.

May these powerful words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:14-15 guide our thoughts and actions –

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”