LIVING IN AN UNSTABLE WORLD - PART 4
By Gail Rodgers
KEEP UNITY

Sometimes we find our world shaken from the challenges that come with
emotional hardship. It can be devastating. We can feel helpless when our
world is shaken emotionally by disunity that puts relationships on
edge.

In the steps to stability that God outlines for us, we find a strong
call to live in unity with one another.

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root
grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Hebrews 12:15).

When your world is shaken by emotional turmoil, keep these steps in
mind. Guard your heart from harboring a bitter root. God tells us that it
will show up when we least expect it and cause no end of trouble.

Be on your guard to keep unity in the relationships in your life.
Bitterness cannot take root without first planting the seed of hurt and
watering resentment. Watch for this cycle that begins in the heart.

* HURT -- We all experience it and we often cause it. When we find our
heart has been bruised by hurt we can choose our response.

--We can let it go, knowing the heart of the offending person was not
set on causing us pain.
--We can choose to forgive even if the offender meant to hurt us.
--We can nurse the hurt in our heart and allow it to grow. This choice
begins a destructive cycle.

*RESENTMENT WILL BE THE RESULT-- When resentment is left to stew in our
heart it becomes a filter for all interactions with the other person.
This must be dealt with before God and sometimes with the other person.
If left, resentment will smolder.

* ANGER IS THE RESULT. Anger can manifest itself in many different
ways. Harsh talk, depression, general meanness, blocked communication and
even violence can be signs of an inward anger. Left alone it will
continue to grow.
--Intervention is often needed here to discover what has caused the
hurt and resentment that continues to fester.

* BITTERNESS is the result of anger not dealt with. Bitterness will
show up at unexpected times and in hurtful ways. Relationships will
become tarnished and the cycle of hurt will begin all over again in the
lives of others.

God calls us to unity. Deal with hurt as soon as it happens. Go first
to God and if He directs you, then go to the other person. Clean it up
and get rid of it. The cost of disunity is much too high.

If hurt has grown into resentment, acknowledge it and ask God to help
you defuse it in your heart. Consider talking to a trusted friend who
will pray with you and for you.

If anger is causing tension in your life or if bitterness has soured
your soul, seek out a counselor who can help you work through the steps
to forgiveness and who will pray with you and for you.

God's desire is for your heart to be free. Acknowledge hurt when it
happens and choose your response carefully. God will be your rock and your
help as you work it through.

Father in Heaven,

I need Your help to deal with the hurts that come my way. Show me how
to let Your grace flow through me. Show me how to discern the heart of
the one causing the hurt. When their heart is not set against me, help
me to be able to release the hurt to You. When someone is set to hurt
me, help me to be filled with Your grace and to forgive. Keep me mindful
of this cycle that builds toward a bitter root. Give me grace to live
in unity by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Replace the sandpaper in my
relationships with the oil of Your Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray,
amen.