Removing the Root of Bitterness from Our Garden
This morning marked a holy turning point for me.
For months, I had been wrestling with what I believed was offense—a quiet hardening over my heart that I couldn’t fully explain. I could sense guardedness, emotional distance, and resistance where there once was openness and trust. What I didn’t realize was that this hardening had begun with disappointment—moments of hurt that I had not fully brought into the light.
As I was reading Hebrews this morning, I came to Hebrews 12:15. The moment I read the words “bitter root,” faith rose up instantly. I knew the Lord was speaking to me about this. What I had labeled offense was actually bitterness, and the moment it was revealed, I experienced immediate breakthrough.
Revelation released grace. And grace released freedom.
Bitterness Distorts Vision—Grace Restores It
One of the most deceptive things about bitterness is how it reshapes the way we see. Bitterness holds tightly to what others have done wrong. It replays offenses, reinterprets conversations, and filters every interaction through the lens of past hurt.
Even neutral moments begin to feel untrustworthy. Even kindness can feel insincere. This is not discernment—it is distortion of what is true. Bitterness narrows our vision until pain becomes the primary interpreter of reality.
But when the Holy Spirit exposes bitterness, something powerful happens: grace is released to forgive.
Forgiveness is not minimizing the wrong; it is releasing our right to hold it. And forgiveness cannot flow freely where bitterness is being protected. The moment bitterness is surrendered, grace rushes in—empowering us to forgive what once felt impossible.
What once felt heavy becomes light. What once felt justified to hold onto loses its grip. Forgiveness becomes possible—not because the hurt was small, but because grace is great.
This is the miracle of the Holy Spirit. He does not ask us to forgive in our own strength; He supplies the grace to do what love requires.
From Cynicism to Faith
Bitterness often masquerades as wisdom. It calls cynicism “discernment” and guardedness “maturity.” But faith restores what bitterness steals. Faith allows us to trust God with our hearts again—not because people are perfect, but because God is faithful.
Where bitterness once kept score, grace releases accounts.
Where bitterness rehearsed wrongs, grace remembers mercy.
Where bitterness hardened the heart, grace makes it tender again.
A Holy Exchange That Leads to Freedom
The Holy Spirit brought revelation that became an invitation back to the heart of Father God. He lovingly exposed the root—not to leave me vulnerable, but to restore me fully. As the root was revealed, forgiveness began to flow without resistance, faith rose again, and I felt a deep freedom return. With the weight lifted, I found myself free to be fully myself again—unguarded, open, and alive with love. What had once felt unsafe now felt possible.
If you find yourself replaying offenses, interpreting every interaction through old wounds, or struggling to forgive, He is giving you the tools to tend to the garden of your heart—to process pain in His presence, to release forgiveness quickly, and to cultivate a life marked by the freedom to love.
Reflection
Ask Him to show if there is a bitter root in your life — or maybe it’s just a seed.
If He shows you than He is asking you for permission to remove the bitterness. Will you give Him permission? Will you receive forgiveness for it being there?
Watch what He does with it and than let Him show you what He is replacing it with.
Do you feel a release?
*Link to the Instagram video about this here!
