When a person is always ready to take offense, justifies his hostile reaction, and refuses reconciliation ... he is holding on to what the Bible refers to as a mental and emotional state of 'bitterness'.
Paul admonished the early church to reject it and seek to live peaceably ...
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
The bitter person is resentful, cynical, harsh, cold, and ... relentless in expressing his ill-tempered opinions. If bitterness is allowed to take root and grow, it can become 'malice'; a deliberate attempt to harm another person. Backbiting and slander are usually the weapons of choice.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble. (Hebrews 12:15)
The Lord desires that His children live with joy, peace, and holiness before this lost and dying world. We are to display the love of God in all its divine attributes ...
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
Don't be that person who constantly ruminates over the negative. It invariably becomes the soil in which bitterness takes root.
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