I attended a class at the nature center where I learned all about the many health benefits of herbs. One that really stuck with me was bitters. The teacher suggested drinking bitters in a tea like dandelion or chamomile because they aid with digestion. I found this very interesting. Some bitter plants actually make your gallbladder kick into action, releasing bile to help you break down food. So, I bought a lovely bottle of barrel-aged bitters which is normally used for cocktails, but I have just been taking a small spoonful in the evenings.

And I do enjoy some bitter foods in small doses; one of my favorites being bittersweet chocolate. I love how the sweet and bitter play off each other. The same way I love a strong black coffee with a pastry . . . it’s all about the juxtaposition, the meeting place of two opposites. These are always interesting places in cooking (so I’m told), finding the right balance. You can love a rich decadent dish, but you need something to offset it, something bright or tart.

Life is so much of this, isn’t it?

The bitter and the sweet.

The sugary and the tart.

Opposing forces balancing each other.

We can only consume so much whipped cream before we want something solid and nourishing. We often find ourselves chasing the lighter things in life. The fun. The ease. Especially when we are young, we want excitement and adventure. We want to dance through life with people who are just looking for a good time. Mobility. Lightheartedness. No commitments. Inevitably, one day that sweet whipped topping starts to make us feel sick. We long for something more substantial. Something that will feed our bodies and our souls. We want committed relationships and steady pay-checks. We want something nutritious. We actually crave . . . a salad.

As the years go by, we have the family and the steady job with the reliable car and the sensible shoes and the pendulum swings the other way. We have lived off a steady diet of vegetables. We have made the hard (but right) decisions. We are predictable and solid. We buy the healthy foods and count our steps and offer meaningful contributions to school, church and work. And there is accomplishment in this, but there is also longing. Longing for that dessert. For that something sweet. For that joy. For that spontaneity (which is surprisingly hard with nap times and deadlines).

Always trying trying to find that counterbalance for our life.

I find so many bittersweet spots in my faith walk, as well. We find life in Christ, but must die to self. The bitterness of death is offset by the sweetness of life eternal. The grave will not have it’s victory, but in this life we will have trouble (we feel those troubles) like a spoonful of bitters. We swallow it down knowing the Lord will use this, even this. My grandma used to say life is like a bowl of cherries, sweet and sour and full of pits. Can there be value in the hard parts of life? I certainly want a soft landing, but often find myself in the thistles. Do the losses make the gains that much sweeter? Does the lack make us appreciate the plenty all the more?

Which of us is most grateful for forgiveness? The ones who need the most. Only when we are cold are we thankful for a blanket. Only when we are hungry do we truly feel grateful for the bread. It is in the lack, in the want and in the bitter that we truly feel the sweet. It is after the darkness that the light means the most. These spots are where we truly get a moment of heaven, of the Father’s love, of the promises. It’s in a sunrise, a spring day, a cold cup of water and a friend’s kind words. It’s the storms that shape us, that push our heads downs so when we do look up we see it all with new eyes. After we have stared at the mire for so long, how beautiful is the sun (the Son!).

This walk, this life—it is bittersweet, but we get tangible glimpses of the Lord’s goodness. Are you looking for them? The sun on my face after a long cold winter. Finding a true friend after feeling isolated and forgotten. Someone to hold your hand. Someone to hear your pain. A hot cup of coffee after a snowy walk.

If you are someone who has suffered from headaches, especially migraines, you know what it is to feel pain. I, at times, have experienced some so bad that I can’t even get out of bed, have a light on or have any noise. I am paralyzed in pain. My whole existence has come down to a dark room, nothing else matters; I’m of no use to anyone. When that headache breaks and I can drink a little tea and sit up, I swear I never feel more alive, more thankful, more grateful for life without a headache! In this moment, I’m the most appreciative.

When we first find the Lord and His forgiveness and His promises, it’s like someone opened a window in a stuffy room. And we thought our whole life was to be played out in this room (this life) and then we meet the Lord and he shows us there is more. So much more. I cannot even begin to imagine heaven, so I can only use ensamples from this earth. The beauty of an Irish meadow after a rain, an English garden in full bloom, white powdery sand offset by lapis waters, smoking mountains and and falling snowflakes. So much beauty awaits us. How hard this life is and how wonderful the next one will be. It is the bitter that makes the sweet, so sweet.

“Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.” Psalm 144

Whatever you are going through, the Lord will one day offset it. He will welcome you home and you will never feel more alive, more grateful, more worshipful. All the hardness of life will be smoothed over and we will marvel at the difference. All the shadows will disappear in the presence of the Lord. It will be the perfect balance.

The notes of the honey are heightened by the acidity of the vinegar.