Bitterness is contagious.

The Bible warns us to look carefully lest a "root of bitterness" springs up. When it does, it doesn’t just poison the person who is angry. It says, "by this many become defiled."

If you listen to a bitter person, whether in person or online, you drink their mixture. Before long, you feel cut inside. You feel the same anger they feel.

But where does this root come from? It isn't just about someone wronging you. The verse right before it gives the diagnosis:

“Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble...” Hebrews 12:15

The Greek word for "looking carefully" is (Episkopeo) ἐπισκοπέω: "to oversee, to look over."

We are supposed to watch over one another. And what are we looking for? We are checking to make sure no one is falling short of grace.

Long before a moral failure or an explosion of anger, there is a shortage of grace. When people stop relying on God's supply and start relying on their own performance, they wear out and turn bitter.

The antidote to bitterness isn't just forgiveness; it is a fresh revelation of grace.

You cannot be full of grace and full of bitterness at the same time.