Daily Digest #96

Looking carefully . . . lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. —Hebrews 12:15

Many things make us tick. I, for instance, have other deeper annoyances, aside from my pet peeves -- insensitivity, tactlessness, arrogance and pretentiousness, to name a few. I realize that sometimes the problem is my lack of kindness and mercy, which leads myself to reciprocate the negative attitude towards these people. I have a profound desire to correct. But sometimes, we deal with people who are set in their ways, and we can't do anything else but accept, understand, pray more and be patient. I guess time away from such people helps some, at least for me. Being a temperamental person, I'd rather cool down for a while than stick around, open my mouth and unleash bitter words. But I learned how important it is to use that time for praying, asking God's help to get rid of the feelings of bitterness and disappointment, and to bless me with a kind heart. Some of us might not realize it yet, but it is all part of a test of our character. The point is not how bad a situation is, but what good we can bring out of it.

We all have a loooooong way to go in this journey, but I am confident that God will cleanse our hearts completely and make us holy in His way and His time. May we all keep a regular prayer time -- assessing ourselves, admitting our weaknesses, repenting for our faults, listening to what God has to say, and asking Him to take over our lives completely. I guess it's only then can we truly master our emotions. And most of all, may we never fail to count our many blessings. Pray always.