6 I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
One of the sad things I see when people have grave difficulties in life is their turning. They turn from family, faith, and freedom. Their bitterness takes root starts to grow. They pull away from family, often because each member of the family has their own grief journey, and those often collide. Those dealing with anger often lash out at others even though their anger is grief expressing itself and not displeasure with the other person. People sometimes let the bitterness move them away from the Lord. They let the ‘why’ questions impede their spiritual journey. The questions become stumbling blocks which stand in our line of sight toward God. We have to learn to look around these questions in order to see the Lord. It is not that the questions go away, it is that the questions become less important than seeing the Lord. Some people give up their freedom when bitterness takes hold, turning to addictive behaviors to numb the struggle. In the Army, alcohol is the drug of choice. It is legal and cheap. It is politically acceptable, as long as you don’t get too many DUI’s. You can totally ignore your family responsibilities as long as you show up for work on time. Numbing the pain becomes the goal of off-duty hours, rather than enhancing family and faith. And then the addiction takes over and you lose your freedom. The addiction demands even more of your time and energy. All this happens when bitterness is given full reign. Are you letting bitterness creep into your life when disappointments inevitably come? Are you turning away from family, faith and freedom?
The Arnold Journey 