[Tweet “Life is #bittersweet- but God’s #Love will ensure the sweet will Ultimately Win!”]

For many of us, memories swirl around bittersweet moments as jumbled and numerous as glitter in a snow-globe.

We’re thankful for life – but  it hurts like hell when death has taken someone you love. Every holiday is bittersweet, painful to even celebrate without them by your side.

Tears flow as you realize your son or daughter can’t come home for the holidays.

Children’s toys and cherub voices serve to remind you that another Christmas will pass and you’re not pregnant yet.

Life and work is demanding, compelling you to give, but chemo has stripped you all energy except for what is essential and necessary.

The world seems to party on and live their 100mph lives while you’re sitting in a nursing home with your spouse or parent that doesn’t even  remember who you are.

Life is BITTERSWEET. 

 From Eve’s first bite, bitterness and pain entered our world.  But the first promise to Eve was the sweet promise of a SAVIOR who would bruise the head of our enemy and CRUSH the power of sin.

 That Savior, Jesus, does not leave us to our cup of sorrows.  He drinks the cup of suffering and offers new life and transformation.

[Tweet ” Because of Jesus- the SWEET will ultimately overcome the bitter. “]

We can’t stop life from being bittersweet-

but we can learn to let go of the bitter and embrace the sweet. 

[Tweet “Let go of the #bitter and #embrace the #sweet. #life #LetItGo”]

The bittersweet vine boasts beautiful berries and foliage in the autumn but it can be deceivingly deadly. If left untended, it invades and overgrows vegetation, slowly killing it.

Consider the three ways bittersweet can kill a tree or shrub. There’s a spiritual lesson hidden within! three ways. First, it can overshadow the plant, blocking sunlight.  Secondly, the vines can wrap themselves so tightly around the trunk it can literally strangle or “girdle” the tree.”  Thirdly, it can grow so prolifically, that the heaviness of the vines can uproot the tree.

 Bittersweet moments have the potential to grow into something more dangerous in our lives.

1) If we allow bittersweet moments to overshadow us, blocking out the goodness and Light of His love, we won’t be able to “photosynthesize” His Sonlight.  Sonlight is LIFE!

2) If we wrap ourselves in “bittersweet” moments, allowing the tendrils and vines to run a muck in our hearts and minds, our spiritual lives can be strangled.

3) If we hang onto bittersweet moments, instead of laying them before our Jesus, asking Him to take them and transform them into something He can use, they will become such a heavy burden, they will uproot us.

[Tweet “When we give God our bitter moments in life, He will #transform to something #beautiful.”]

   We must lay the bitter before Him and let Him transform it for His glory.  Just as the tree was thrown into the waters to make the bitter water refreshing, we must let Him throw His presence into our lives, allowing Him to prune or root out, heal or transform, rip out and restore.

 Surprising Treasure: Only God can take bitter and make it sweet. 

Exodus 15:22-24 – So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.