When Bitterness Turns Sweet

There’s a moment in the life of St Francis that changed everything.
He met a leper.

What repulsed him… he chose to embrace. What he feared… he moved toward. What the world rejected… he kissed.

And in that kiss, something shifted in Francis. He would later say that what once seemed bitter became sweetness to his soul.

This is the mystery of the “divine kiss.” It’s not sentimental. It’s not soft. It’s the moment love crosses the line of comfort and becomes real.

We often look for God in what feels good, clean, and inspiring. But St Francis found Him hidden in what was broken, inconvenient, even disturbing, choosing to love where you’d rather turn away.

🔹️ When you forgive instead of replaying the hurt
🔹️ When you serve without being noticed
🔹 ️When you stay present in someone else’s pain
🔹️ When you choose compassion over judgment

That’s where God meets you. Not at a distance, but up close. Because the love of Christ doesn’t avoid wounds. It enters them. And somehow… what feels like death to the ego becomes life to the soul. So today, don’t just look for what inspires you. Look for what invites you to love deeper.