Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Heb. 12:15 (NLT)

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Eph. 4:31-32 (NIV)

Resentment kills a fool. Job. 5:2 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, we’re your cherished daughters and sons in Christ; but we’re also your Spirit-convicted children. These attitude-Scriptures don’t mince any words. We live in an hour and world of hair-trigger criticism, festering resentments, and unfettered spite. We must do better and be different.

Call me naïve, but I never anticipated a day when so many adults in positions of power and influence would act and speak like manner-less, spoiled, bullying children. Lord, as your beloved children, grant us fresh grace, thicker skin, and bigger hearts. You’ve called us to be salt and light, not hot sauce and Roman candles. Certainly, we must not only resist the madness, but also demonstrate a different way forward.

You never call us to denial, but you always call us to yourself. There are real issues before us in our culture and communities. Grant us wisdom, strength and plenty of grace. By the power of your Holy Spirit, the truth of the gospel, and the gift of community, keep our appropriate anger from morphing into destructive revenge. May the fire in our bones be the purifying fire of your Spirit, and not the destructive wild-fire of our politics.

Help us uproot every root of resentment, bitterness, and spite, growing in the garden of our hearts. Keep us from wallowing in our concerns longer than we linger in your presence. Father, help us build more bridges and throw fewer grenades. Write stories of redemption with the ink of the gospel and the hope of heaven. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.

Scotty Smith is the founding pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee. You can follow him on Twitter. This article is shared with direct permission from the author.