As I sit here, watching the neighborhood kids out my window, I can't help but wonder what things are like for them behind closed doors. I know many of them come from broken homes - I know this because of the kids who have come to Kids Club (a club my old roommate and I started in our neighborhood last semester where we share a Bible story with the kids). I also know they come from broken homes just from observing. I can tell a lot by just watching people. The way families interact, the way they carry themselves, the expressions and body languages the parents use when they talk to their children; a lot of it being negative. I just pray that God will protect these children from growing up to be angry, bitter adults. He can and does do that - I have had the opportunity to talk with adults who should be very angry people, but are not because of God's work in their lives. I also know the freedom that comes when you let go of bitterness. Because of past dating relationships (mainly one) I had allowed lots of bitterness to develop and grow in my heart but this past month has been so freeing for me! So my prayer for these children is that they will be able to keep their innocence (not be naive but protected from certain negative experiences at such a young age) and that they will experience love from their parents. Love from God through their parents and love from God through others around them.
Bitterness and Anger effect every aspect of your life. If you're struggling with either I would challenge you to begin praying for freedom from that. I believe that anger causes us to be impatient, rude, hateful, and shut off from people. It can also deeply effect our relationships with the people we love the most. God can help you heal from the bitterness you've held on to for so long. It took me 6 years to even begin to work through the bitterness I have kept in my heart but once I began praying about it - God started working hard! He was just waiting for me to open up my heart to even begin to consider forgiving that person who had so deeply hurt me and once I opened up that door, he began working. And its amazing the freedom that has come with that!
