From Bitterness to Forgiveness
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Bitterness can’t withstand the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. That’s what God revealed after bringing me through the Rwandan genocide.
When I was only 6, my grandmother and uncle — who were taking care of me — were both killed by our neighbors when tribal unrest broke out in Rwanda. My whole life was shattered. The little faith I had was gone, and I often wondered why my life was spared in those months of horror.
A first glimpse of hope came into my life when I received my Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. At my orphanage, many children were displaced, so to have my own gift was special. Joy overwhelmed me, as I had toys to play with and a comb I kept for years, but the most profound impact was realizing someone around the world was thinking about me. That planted a seed of hope during a time when I felt lost.
A year later, God began revealing the miracles He’d done to save my life. I gave my life to the Lord and started abiding in Him daily, as Jesus instructs in John 15:5:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
The more I abided in God, the more He pruned away my bitterness. Abiding was the only way I could heal from such pain.
In my healing process, I prayed that I’d meet those who killed my family. While I wanted to face the people responsible for so much pain in my life, I also prayed God would give me strength to forgive. God diligently weeded out the bitterness in my heart, making room for His fruit of forgiveness.
In 2013, on a return trip to Rwanda, God answered my prayer. I visited the man responsible for killing my uncle, and by God’s grace, I shared that I forgave him.
What started with a shoebox gift led to my salvation, healing and ultimately miraculous forgiveness.
I’m not perfect at abiding in God. For a time, I was even angry at God for my pain — but in anger, I was blinded to the miracles God did to save me and glorify His name. I’m challenged to abide in Jesus daily because my healing process is ongoing.
We may never forget pain, but we don’t have to live bound to bitterness. I pray you take your next step toward forgiveness. Do you need to stop blaming Jesus for past hurts and instead accept Him as your Lord and Savior? Do you need to forgive someone or ask for forgiveness? Or you may live in peace, but you still need to share the gospel with someone. Whatever the case, may you abide in Jesus and allow Him to transform your heart.
God, thank You for forgiving our sins against You. Uproot bitterness in our hearts, and bear forgiveness in us as a fruit of Your Spirit. As You walk us through healing, help us abide in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2
Am I Really Saved?

š¤šš²ššš¶š¼š»: šš¼š š°š®š» š šøš»š¼š ššµš²ššµš²šæ š š®šŗ šæš²š®š¹š¹š šš®šš²š±?
First let us
understand what salvation is.
šŖšµš®š š¶š šš®š¹šš®šš¶š¼š»?
Firstly, we
need to talk about salvation. If we do not have a scriptural understanding of
salvation, how can we know whether we truly have it? Salvation is simply the
deliverance from sin through faith in Jesus Christ. A person is truly saved
when He accepts that he is a sinner, repents for his sins, and by faith,
accepts the free gift of salvation made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice on the
cross as revealed in the Bible.
ššš¶š±š²š»š°š² š¼š³ šš®š¹šš®šš¶š¼š»
To know whether
you are saved, you need to look at yourself in the light of the Scriptures. If
you are sure that you have repented of your sins, and believe that Jesus Christ
died on the cross for your sins, you will doubtless see the following evidence in
your life.
š. š š°šµš®š»š“š²š± š¹š¶š³š² – š š”š²š ššæš²š®šš¶š¼š» š¶š» ššµšæš¶šš
Once saved, the
Bible says we are new creations in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are no
longer slaves of sin. Jesus has set us free not only from the condemnation and
effects of sin, but also from the power of sin over us.
Romans 8:1-2
šŖš² š±š¼ š»š¼š š°š¼š»šš¶š»šš² šš¼ š¹š¶šš² š¶š» šš¶š»
Freedom from
sin does not mean that we should continue to sin:
Romans 6:1-5
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