Have you ever been offended or hurt by someone? Perhaps you became so bitter that you told your friends how bad the person was who offended you and tempted your friends to become bitter also. Bitterness is like branching roots that spread quickly and can soon entangle many people. We avoid this by practicing peace and holy living with everyone and by guarding against bitterness springing up in our hearts, because bitterness brings corruption. To keep the roots of bitterness from spreading, we should go straight to the person who offended us and make things right without telling anyone else.
