A root canal is a procedure that goes below the surface of a diseased tooth and removes the diseased matter, replacing it with synthetic material that keeps the tooth safe and in place. I love a quote I found on Wikipedia’s entry on Endodontic Therapy (what real dentists call the procedure), “Although the procedure is relatively painless when done properly, the root canal remains the stereotypical fearsome dental operation…” YA THINK?!?!?!

We can learn a spiritual lesson from the root canal. I have encountered several unhappy, miserable people in my life who live their lives angry, hurt, and defeated. However, anger, hurt, and defeat are not problems themselves, but symptoms that something is wrong “beneath the surface of the tooth” so to speak. The Bible calls it bitterness, an ongoing spirit of unforgiveness that affects a person’s spiritual, emotional, and even physical well-being.

One may best describe bitterness as an unsettled anger and resentment over a past hurt or disappointment. Bitterness is a refusal to extend grace to those who hurt us. Bitterness chooses (notice I said chooses) to hold on to hurt. Consider what the Word says:

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled… – Hebrews 12:15

Bitterness, like a root, begins unseen, and continues to seethe beneath the surface. But bitterness cannot stay hidden for long – it erupts like a volcano spewing boiling lava of resentment. Bitterness creates trouble for the one who harbors it.

First, bitterness affects our body. Studies link bitterness to increased heart trouble, high blood pressure, gastro-intestinal disorders, and sleep disorders, as well as a number of other physical maladies. Our minds control what happens in our bodies, and an unforgiving spirit keeps our nervous systems churning at an unhealthy rate.

Even more dangerously, bitterness affects our spirit.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. – Psalm 66:18

The Psalm reminds us that as long as we hold on to an intentional known sin, we are choosing its fellowship rather than God’s fellowship. God commands us to forgive, so not forgiving is sin. Holding on to unforgiveness prevents us from fellowship with God.

Also, bitterness affects our relationships – it “defiles many.” One person’s bitterness becomes another’s hurt when a bitter person carelessly slings the hot lava of resentment. I once heard a saying I have found to be true: “Hurt people hurt people.” A bitter person is negative, complaining, and argumentative; never a joy to be around, but rather a nuisance to be avoided.

Let me encourage you to do a bitterness audit of your life. Has someone caused you the kind of hurt that you enjoy revisiting? Have life’s disappointments created a scab that you cannot stop reopening? Acknowledge your hurts and their sources. Release your offenses and let God wash you clean. Sure, you may have to do it countless times for every offense, but the liberation and healing is worth it.