From Bitter to Beautiful: The Grace of the Table

Life doesn’t always go how we plan.

We show up expecting joy, and we get grief. We plan for peace, and we get chaos. It’s a lot like sipping what you thought was sweet tea, only to find it's unsweet and bitter.

Bitterness is more than disappointment—it’s what happens when pain sticks around too long. And if we’re honest, we’ve all carried it. It’s that weight we silently haul into our parenting, our relationships, even into church.

But here’s the good news: Jesus doesn’t avoid the bitter. He meets us there.

At the Last Supper, He knew His friends would fail Him. Yet He still pulled up a seat. He still offered the bread and cup. And He still extended grace.

Jesus doesn’t wait for you to be better—He enters the pain and offers to transform it. Just like the wooden cross that turned sorrow into salvation, He can take the bitterness in your story and make something beautiful.

So the question isn’t “Are you ready to be perfect?” It’s “Are you ready to sit at the table?”