Choosing Love Over Bitterness Changes Everything

*Special Episode* Outside of Sunday Women's Retreat --Part 2 of 2-- I was blessed to share at the Outside of Sunday Retreat in Spring 2025, here is the second recording.  Check out Christa Otter's ministry at  Outside of Sunday Podcast | ChristianWhere do you go when shame lingers and bitterness starts to feel justified? We open 1 John and Matthew 11 to find a path out of the dark and into a life marked by confession, courage, and a surprising kind of rest. I share how keeping short accounts with God lifts the labels we wear, restores joy, and makes space for the Spirit to do the work we can’t force on our own.We explore why John holds truth and love together—and what goes wrong when we tear them apart. You’ll hear how the Holy Spirit reframes failure, why hatred blinds even when we feel “right,” and how choosing love for a difficult person can actually remove a stumbling block from your own path. This isn’t about pretending pain away; it’s about bringing the raw story into the light so Jesus can carry the weight. Along the way, we talk practical steps: pausing to confess quickly, journaling what the Spirit surfaces, asking a friend to pray, and taking one hidden action of love where resentment wants the last word.Jesus’ invitation anchors the journey: come, take my yoke, learn from me. If your faith feels heavy, it may be a sign you’re pulling loads he never asked you to carry—image, control, old wounds, quiet grudges. The gentle and lowly heart of Christ meets you there and leads you back to lighted ground. Listen for a fresh vision of grace, biblical clarity on walking as Jesus walked, and a hopeful way to face the people and places that stretch you. If this message helps you breathe easier, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a quick review to help others find their way back to the light.Send me a text messageSupport the show