Bitterness

This is an excerpt of the novel I am currently writing.  The only intro necessary is that the setting is America in 1864.


The reader will note here that America was in the middle of a civil war.  This wasn’t a happy thing.  Men died.  Women lost.  Whole men were rare and joyful women even more so.  Southerners hated Northerners, and vice versa.  Bitterness is a disease.  The disease of bitterness was spreading faster than gangrene or Sherman through Georgia.  It devoured anyone in its path.  America wasn’t simply fighting one big war.  They were fighting a war with bitterness as well.  They were losing this war, though.  Nobody enlisted for this war.  Women and children weren’t left out of the battles.  This was an all or all war.  Nobody had a choice to fight or not.  You see, feelings and obscure enemies aren’t required to follow the rules of war.  The only thing that would allow the people to defeat their enemy was their enemy’s weapon.  That thing was forgiveness and uniting together.  Bitterness isn’t stupid.  Bitterness will hit us at our only weak spot, no matter how small that spot is.  Our only weapon is forgiveness; our only armor, God.  God will protect from bitterness.  But bitterness turned Julia from God, from forgiveness.  Bitterness isn’t invulnerable.  All Julia needed to do was turn to the God of her childhood.  Will she?

Don't turn bitter.  Bitterness is still active in 2012.  You are not invulnerable.  So guard your heart.
~Michaela