Juliana Elizabeth Travis

           Most of our bitterness and anger towards others is rooted in our inability to be unconditionally amazed at Christ's love for us in our sin.  You may say "Oh my bitterness is because of this person or this thing or this situation," but the solution is not to fix the other thing. The solution is to fix yourself-- to gain a heart that is overflowingly thankful for grace from Christ and that spills over with grace towards others.  Here are 4 steps to overcome the bitterness of life and replace it with joy and contentment: 1.  Focus on the good in your life           In my last post "Focus on the Good" , I wrote about how we are sometimes surrounded by the darkness of sin, in this case bitterness. When we take our eyes off the bitterness, we are able to see God's goodness and love all around us. Instead of being bound by bitterness, run to God's truth. Replace the bitterness with contentment in every situation.  “Finally, brothers and

            This past year has been a rough, heavy load for me.  I had controversy with my best friend, went through a tough break up, prayed for recovery of the people closest to me, lost loved ones, and struggled with my own emotional stability.  Over the past few months, a key phrase that I have spoken over my life continuously is "Focus on the Good."            About 6 months ago, I fell into a depressed state where I just couldn't find a reason to be happy.  I overthought everything, I skipped meals, I laid awake in bed at night wondering where everything went so wrong. I got to a point where I didn't really want to wake up and struggle through the next day. I wish I could tell you that things have changed and I am better now, and while some things have gotten better, I am still in the pit of depression. I struggle with insecurity and I let my negative thoughts and the unkind words of others define who I am.  I feel unworthy, unwanted, and unloved.