Faith Over Chaos

I didn’t recognize it at first.

It crept in quietly yesterday while I was reading—like a shadow slipping under the door. And the weird part? I didn’t fight it. I welcomed it. Not with open arms, but with a strange sense of relief. Like finally naming the ache you’ve been carrying. It was deep-seated. Familiar.

But I couldn’t quite name it until it started rearranging things. My thoughts. My peace. My posture toward people I love. It was like an uninvited roommate, dragging old boxes out of the attic and setting them in the middle of my living room. Loud. Messy. Unapologetic. Turns out, Hebrews was right. Bitterness doesn’t just stay in the corner—it grows roots and causes trouble.

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. – Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)

Resentment.

That’s what it was. Not rage. Not grief. Not even sadness. Just that slow-burning, furniture-shifting feeling that says, “You were wronged. You deserve better. Don’t forget.” Now what? Now that this over-staying-its-welcome roommate has a name, what do I do with it? I could stand on my soap box and give it a platform. Let it preach its sermon of injustice and betrayal. Let it gather followers in my heart who nod along and say, “You’re right. You were wronged.” But I don’t like the feeling it gives me.

I don’t like the angry, the pain, the bitterness it’s grown inside me—like that watermelon seed your mom warned you not to swallow because it would sprout in your belly. Turns out, she wasn’t wrong. It did grow. Not into fruit, but into something tangled and heavy. Paul wasn’t kidding when he said to get rid of bitterness. Mine came with vines and thorns.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger… Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. – Ephesians 4:31–32 (NIV)

Resentment doesn’t just rearrange the furniture. It plants things. It decorates with thorns. It whispers, “This is safer than forgiveness.” So, I stood there, arms crossed, staring at the mess Resentment made. And I heard a whisper—not from the roommate, but from the One who actually owns the house.

“You don’t have to live like this.” I leaned into Faith over Chaos. This chaos of resentment has no place in my heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” – Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

That’s it! That’s the post it note scripture for the day. I’m still working out this old resentment, but I stomp on it with truth—armed with scripture, grounded in Eden Thinking, and walking with the One who cleans my heart and renews my spirit.

Helping you find peace in the garden again—because bitterness makes a lousy fertilizer.

Before you let resentment redecorate again, grab a shovel. Here are a few questions to help you clear the garden.

1. What bitter root have I been watering with my thoughts, words, or silence?
2. Where have I given resentment a platform instead of giving God permission to restore?
3. What truth from scripture can I stomp on this bitterness with today?
4. If God’s the gardener, what weed is He gently asking me to pull up and hand over?