Scripture
“Their talk is foul…Their tongues are filled with lies…
Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
~Romans 3:13-14, NLT
Quote
When the root is bitterness, imagine what the fruit might be.
~Woodrow Kroll
The word toxic is a word that’s thrown about a lot these days. People with a bitter spirit are referred to as being toxic. In the general sense of the word, something that is toxic is harmful to a person upon exposure. But how do you know if you are a toxic person? Recently someone had some strong words about one of my blogs and they were not compliments. I blog but I never get on social media so I had no idea what was going on. One associate sent me a text that included the comments of the critic which I didn’t bother to read. Then he said something interesting: “This man seems very bitter.” That put me to thinking. The word of God has a lot to say about bitterness which we refer to today as toxicity. Paul said that one of the signs of our depravity is–Our mouths are filled with cursing and bitterness {Romans 3:14}. To the Christians in Ephesus Paul said, Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Bitterness and malice are twins that run together. God’s word in Hebrews 12 states–Watch out that no poisonous [toxic] root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
Well the first thing I want to say is: I do not want to be a bitter person and I am willing to take what ever measured necessary to avoid becoming toxic. I did get on line and do some reading and to be honest, I was convicted by what I found. In one article, I found a list–17 Reasons you or I may be toxic…
[1] People feel worse about themselves having spent time with you.
[2] People avoid you or even disappear. Toxic people are irritants and their are parasitic.
[3] You feel intellectual superior to others which makes you highly critical.
[4] You are controlling and manipulative. Your superiority complex makes you think you know what’s best for others.
[5] You never apologize or admit you are wrong.
[6] You always blame someone else: nothing is every your fault. You refuse to take responsibility for your mistakes.
[7] You take advantage of others–you take more than you give.
[8] You humiliate others as a form of entertainment.
[9] You hold grudges.
[10] You make everything personal.
[11] You find it difficult to praise others or celebrate their success.
[12] You threaten repercussions if others don’t fall in line.
[13] You always put your needs before the needs of others.
[14] You cannot be trusted to keep a confidence.
[15] You make back handed compliments such as: “That is really good for someone of your ability.”
[16] You use peer pressure to manipulate others.
[17] You have severe mood swings. People around you don’t know how to act because they don’t know what mood you are in.
[Here is the link if you want to check it out…https://www.aconsciousrethink.com/10156/am-i-toxic/]
I am guilty of more than one which disturbs me because I do not want to be bitter about anything. I definitely have some things to work on. I don’t feel like the smartest man in the room but I do feel superior intellectually to liberals: this is nothing to boast about. My IQ could be 110 and I would be superior to a lib. The one I enjoyed the most is number 15, the back handed compliments. People who make these subtle comments or so they think don’t realize that we know exactly what they are doing which means, they think we are stupid. In the old days, these comments upset me and I would dwell on them for days but now they entertain me. Today I just laugh and shake my head as they proudly walk away after making their snide remark…I am thinking, “What an idiot!” The irony is hilarious because they think they are smart.
Look folks, practically and possibly all my friends are more intelligent than myself but they don’t condescend. I like being around intelligent people because I want to learn and they are conservative but I am not going to hang out with those who look down upon me with contempt. It is not edifying. Any jackass can kick a barn down but it takes a skilled carpenter to build one. It takes absolutely no effort to be critical but it takes thought and wisdom to be positive and encouraging.
I am not a psychologist but I can tell you one thing for sure; there is always something is the bitter person’s past that causes them to act the way they do. It could be a divorce, the absence of a parent, a severe rejection, some form of abuse or any experience where the person is injured emotionally. Hurting people hurt others. What is the solution? First, be honest and sometimes that is painful. I am guilty of about half of the things on the list. You’ll never improve until you get honest and admit there is a problem. Of course the bottom line is Jesus and His grace. My prayer is “LORD Jesus, help me not give into bitterness. Deliver me from malicious behavior and help me to love those who are hurting.”
Not anything new to report on those who have covid. My sister is better, I think and my friend in Cleveland is critical. Jean Smith may get to come home if Perry can get hooked up with home health. I understand that Emma Bittle has covid and has suffered the symptoms. A lot of young people breeze right through but not all: some have a difficult time. Covid affects different people different ways. It undulates, has highs and lows. You get to feeling better and bamb, it comes back with a vengeance. Great weather yesterday. It was heater in the morning and AC in the afternoon. There was a 35 degree difference. Have a great day and weekend. Thanks for reading the blog.