Because healing begins when we face what’s still buried.
Have you ever wondered why certain things still trigger you—why you sometimes overreact, pull away, or get stuck in patterns that don’t match who you want to be? Often, the answer isn’t in what’s happening now. It’s something buried—deep down. You may have learned how to smile, to serve, to press on. But if you haven’t faced what’s underneath, it will eventually show up in your relationships, your health, your faith, and your joy.
Maybe you seem to be thriving on the outside, but then a conversation, a moment, or a memory brings something hidden to the surface. Suddenly there’s fear, anger, shame, or guilt—and you don’t even know why.
Bitterness. Rejection. Abandonment. Betrayal. Abuse. Loss.
These aren’t just passing wounds. They dig deep. They grow silent roots. And unless those roots are exposed and surrendered, they begin to grow fruit—fruit that looks like anxiety, anger, isolation, comparison, perfectionism, self-sabotage, and cycles of sin.
Bitterness is a sin issue—not just a trauma response. And until we face it that way, we won’t get free.
Sometimes we want to blame others entirely for what’s there. But Scripture tells us something sobering and true: roots of bitterness don’t grow because of what was done to us—they grow because of how we respond. We rehearse the offense, refuse to forgive, build walls, make inner vows, or try to fix our pain through sin. The seed was planted by hurt—but it takes root through our decisions.
I see so many trying hard to change and break cycles but just can’t—because willpower and discipline can’t resolve a problem with a spiritual root. That’s why Hebrews 12:15 warns us:
“…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” (NKJV)
It’s not about denying what happened. But it is about taking responsibility for what grew in your heart afterward. Bitterness is a sin issue—not just a trauma response. And until we face it that way, we won’t get free. When the root of the problem is sin—a violation of a spiritual law—-you need more than therapy, coping mechanisms, or time. You need truth. You need to repent. You need grace.
God wants to forgive your sins and heal your heart. But healing can’t happen until we allow Him to go beneath the surface. God’s deep desire is to set you free, so much so, that He sent His Son, Jesus, to make that freedom possible.
“He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions.” —Psalm 107:20
Let me tell you a true story that brings this home.
A Forgiveness That Went Deeper Than the Pain
Corrie ten Boom survived the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp after she and her family were imprisoned for hiding Jews in their home. She lost her sister Betsie in that camp. Years later, Corrie traveled across Europe speaking about God’s forgiveness and healing.
But one day in Munich, she came face to face with a man who had been one of the cruelest guards at Ravensbrück. After one of her talks, he came up to her, smiling, and said he had become a Christian. He reached out his hand and asked for her forgiveness.
Corrie froze. The past came rushing back: the cold, the hunger, the fear. She couldn’t do it. But she also knew that forgiveness wasn’t just a message—it was a command. So she prayed silently, “Jesus, I can lift my hand. You must supply the feeling.”
She lifted her hand, and as she writes, a surge of warmth flooded her whole being. She cried out, “I forgive you, brother! With all my heart!”
That moment was not just about releasing someone else. It was about her own healing. It was when bitterness lost its grip, and love took over again.
So what about you? Have you buried a wound so deep that it’s been quietly shaping your present? Are you willing to ask God to uncover it—not to shame you, but to heal you?
Forgiveness is not a feeling. It’s a decision.
It doesn’t mean what happened was okay.
It means you’re choosing to let God heal the wound instead of living in bondage to it.
“When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.”
—Psalm 32:3–4
“A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.”
—Proverbs 14:30
Unforgiveness, bitterness, and buriedwounds don’t just affect your emotions. They affect your body—causing stress, anxiety, illness, and even depression. Doctors are now confirming what Scripture has told us all along. And beyond the body, they affect your soul—your relationship with God and others, and your ability to walk in freedom.
But here’s the good news: You don’t have to live with it anymore. The Lord is near. He is a Healer. And He’s not afraid of what’s in your past. He wants to heal you—but you must recognize your need and come.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
—Matthew 11:28
And remember: He won’t force healing on you. He waits for the ask.
Jesus often looked at people and asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Not because He didn’t know—but because they needed to know.
Healing begins when we say, “Jesus, I want to be whole. I want to be free.”
Taking the First Step Toward Healing
(Excerpt from Grace Revealed, Week 5)
“Healing doesn’t come by pushing your pain down. It comes when you bring it to Jesus.”
• Recognize what’s buried.
• Ask God to show you what lies you’ve believed.
• Acknowledge any sin that has grown from the root.
• Choose to forgive.
• Receive God’s forgiveness and healing.
You’re not meant to carry it anymore.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
—John 8:32
If you live in Central Texas and want to experience the healing process for yourself, I’d love for you to join me in the next Grace Revealed course. (Contact me for more details.)
