“You will not be punished for your anger; your anger will punish you. Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in mind.”~ Buddha
Humans love the art and craft of making resentments. We spend so much time and energy invested in them. We water, nurture, and fertilize them but rarely do we wish to harvest them because they are our personal creations. That is why resentments are so hard to be rid of because they are created from the root of our selfish desire to have it our way.
The textbook “Alcoholics Anonymous” refers to resentment as being the number one offender.” That is true for not only alcoholics but humankind as a whole. Resentment is frozen anger. It means that sometime in the past, we didn’t get our way. It doesn’t matter if our position and perception are right; the only thing that matters is that it’s our way.
The world’s current state is a breeding ground for resentments, especially related to coronavirus, politics, and social justice. The stronghold of resentment has polarized our lives and our country. All you have to do is turn on the news, read a paper, or scroll social media, and you will see the fuel of our demise in action.
An old saying says, “Nursing a resentment is like drinking rat poison and hoping someone else gets sick.” We are the ones paying the ultimate price. When we resent others, they end up occupying a large amount of space in our minds, without paying any rent, I might add. We wake up to them, we shower with them, we take them to work, and we absolutely insist on taking them to Happy Hour.
How do you say goodbye to resentments? It’s a three-step process. Uncover, discover, and discard. You have to claim it before you can tame it. Start by confessing the resentment, then own your part of the resentment (you might need help with this section to see your part clearly), and finally turn it over to God. Ask God to bless all those you resent and say farewell to the evil living in your soul.
Lord, I no longer desire to be right. I only wish to be happy, joyous, and free. Please rid my soul of all the resentment that I have spent my life creating for myself. Please grant me the strength to forgo the unreasonable expectations for how the world should behave and how the world should treat me. Help me shake this victim mindset and sense of entitlement. It is time for You to take all of my resentments, root and branch. In Your Spirit and Your name, I pray these things, Amen.
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