Escaping Bitterness

"Almost everyone I've seen who has been trapped by bitterness has focused on the big dying and been blind to multiple mini-resurrections in their lives. Almost counterintuitively, the most thankful and happy people I know are confined to wheelchairs. The very deep J-Curves, in my experience, force you (if you take that path) so deeply into Christ that you emerge from them singing in prison.

During some of my lowest years, I tuned myself into the 'resurrection channel' by beginning the early morning habit of reviewing the previous day and thanking God for little mercies, little resurrections. When everything was dark, the Spirit prompted me to hunt for life. People cultivate bitterness by retelling the story of what life has done to them. We can cultivate joy by watching for the Spirit to re-enact the story of Jesus's dying and rising."

- Paul Miller, J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life pg. 238-239