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ABATE of Florida Inc SOUTHWEST CHAPTER
38
Chapter Chaplain Tom
Dear Fellow ABATE Members,
Why do We Act the Way We Do, Sometimes?
How Were We Formed?
Healing from the Bitter Roots!
__________________
Some of you, who have known us for some time, remember the black trike with the purple seats. It was a
great looking trike with lots of chrome and stainless steel. We took home several trophies from car and
motorcycle shows. We started out being nicely excited about this trike as it was very comfortable and
easy to get seated in and get out of. But, little did we know, that during the formation and building of the
engine and, possibly the transmission, flaws were being unintentionally allowed to become part of its
make-up.
At 700 to 800 miles, the engine froze up, leaving us stranded on Interstate 75 in Lee County, Florida. The
engine was allegedly replaced and we were sent back into the highways. This time, while traveling on a
well-earned vacation in Colorado, the trike started leaking oil very badly and then trouble began with the
transmission. The only good thing is we had the SUV and the motorcycle trailer about 180 miles away in
Denver. At least, we were able to tow it back home to Florida. We discovered that some of the parts from
the first blown engine were left on the newer engine. Also, there were just too many other items to
mention. The trike never became “right” and it was returned.
The trike, like many people, was formed with what are called bitter roots (Hebrews 12:15). The trike
looked great on the outside and many of us, look like normal people on the outside. However, there are
some things that helped formed our personalities and inner beings as we were in the formation stages of
our lives. It was speculated that one or more of the things done to the engine of the trike during its
formation, was that the engine bearings may have been the wrong size or overly tightened. So, the
analogy would be that when we were in our years of formation, someone may have overly tightened the
bearings of our personalities with hurts from family, friends, and those we really trusted and should have
counted on.
We think about the story of arguably the greatest scientist who ever lived, Sir Isaac Newton. His father
died before he was born. Then, his mother intentionally left him in the care of others when he was about
three years old. He never socially adjusted to any of society and had difficulties in trying to establish
personal relationships for the rest of his life. He could never trust anyone. One would suggest he was the
product of bitter roots.
Ask yourself, “How many times have I been truly hurt by parents, friends, family, and by those I have
really trusted?
The hurt can come from areas such as: personal divorce, divorce that has affected your parents and
extended family, child custody, abuse by parent(s) or step parent(s), losing a child or not being able to
locate your child, a crippling disease, abuse by a spouse, death of loved ones, not having many friends,
unemployment, financial problems, rejection by people, and failures. We are sure that many of you
reading this, can add to this list.
How often do we get the opportunity to express and “vent” what we are going through to others? …..The
answer is: probably not enough or not at all. How do we handle these emotions and the hurt? Do they
subconsciously come out in our everyday dealings and contact with people? If you take a look at world
events, we think you will agree that human pain helps shape a lot of history in our world. We believe the
terrorist attacks around the world are born of people with damaged emotions that have never been given
the opportunity to heal. It affects families with dysfunctional ties, passed from one generation to the next.
How can we walk in freedom unless we are able to dispense with the roots of bitterness? How can we
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