How Bitterness Grows

Absalom’s story is tragic. His sister Tamar was horribly violated, and justice never came. His father, King David, failed to act. The silence and inaction created a wound — and that wound turned into bitterness.

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Absalom’s hurt fermented into hatred. First, he plotted the murder of his brother Amnon. Then, over time, he turned his bitterness toward David, manipulating the people, and ultimately attempting a coup.

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Bitterness grows quietly in places where injustice hasn’t been named, and wounds haven’t been healed. It often begins in righteous anger, but over time it twists our motives. What began as a cry for justice becomes a thirst for revenge.

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But Jesus is the just Judge. At the cross, He took on both the sins committed against us and the ones we commit in return. The way of Jesus doesn’t ignore pain — it invites it to the surface, brings it into the light, and transforms it through love. Forgiveness doesn’t erase what happened. But it sets us free from letting the wound define us.