Resentment： Bitter Indignation At Having Been Treated Unfairly

We are a new creation. Everything changes when we come into a relationship with God through Christ. Our hearts, our minds, our wills. There's a particular subject that I want to focus on today that I've been thinking about as of late. And that is the concept of resentment. What is resentment? I think if you've lived long enough, you'll experience this. It is when you have a bitter indignation after being treated unfairly. That's how it's defined. You know you've been wronged. Someone did something to you, a loved one, somebody close in your life. And you can't help, not only have you been hurt by this person. You have this bitterness towards them. And you carry that whenever you think of them. And you feel wronged. You feel like you were wrongfully abused, whether verbally or emotionally. You didn't do anything wrong. You treated them well. You respected them. You loved them. And you were blindsided or maybe you anticipated it. But nevertheless, there's a bitterness that you're carrying because of this person. Now this could be someone that did something to you years ago. And it could be something as simple as a word. Maybe mocked you. Made fun of you in front of others. Or lied to you. And really abused that trust that you had. And never included you. There's so many ways that this plays out where we have a bitterness towards someone. But bitterness, this bitter indignation towards someone is poison to the soul. It doesn't help us. We don't move forward. And we're trapped. It's as if this person has held us hostage. The crime that they committed against us. Whether if it was really small and some people might think that's trivial. Well for you, that might have been a lot. I don't know what to say about it. For you, you were affected by it in a negative way. You were hurt, wronged. And you're justified by being hurt by that. And having these emotions. And I've experienced in my own life, just like you, many times of being wronged or hurt. And that's before Christ and after Christ. Before Christ, I've had people... When I say before Christ, I mean before I was in a relationship with him. And before I surrendered to him. There were people who hurt me. And I held a bitterness towards them for a long time. But it never helped me. I just grew more frustrated and angrier as the days and weeks went by. And I wanted a sense of justice. Kind of an eye for an eye. Almost like a revenge. When I thought of them, it would make me angry. And I wanted to disassociate myself with them. But I wanted to get back somehow. But even though time went by, I grew. I aged. I really didn't emotionally and spiritually. Again, I was held captive to this person. And they had a part of me that I wanted back. But the lie was to hold the anger towards them. It's when I came into a relationship with Christ that things changed. And I learned the wisdom of forgiveness. And letting go. Leaving that to God. But between me and that person, or those persons, I had forgiven them. Because I had known, I had learned that God had forgiven me. Who am I to hold anyone to my standard, if you will, if God has forgiven me when I haven't met His standard? When I learned that I received forgiveness from God through Christ, who was I not to forgive anyone who sinned against me? Who treated me wrongly? Now that's easier said than done. But when I came to that place, honestly, I was then free. And I recovered what I had left. That's basically in the hands of that other person or persons. But here's the sad reality. I've actually been hurt maybe even more by folks in the church after. And if I'm not careful, and if I'm not attuning myself to the Spirit, I can allow bitterness, the resentment to come back and grab a hold of me. And I have to remind myself that I am a new creation. The old has passed, the new has come. That my heart, my mind, and my will have to be aligned with God and His will, which is good, which is a will of love, and forgiveness, and mercy. And that gives me peace. So a passage like this is always a reminder for me. It allows me to align myself back into the will of God. Because ultimately it brings peace to me. But also I believe God is pleased with this because He wants me as His child to grow, to move forward, and to have peace in my mind, in my heart, in my life. And so I hope that might encourage you, if you're thinking of someone, and if you've been holding this resentment towards someone, and you have every right to be angry. But I pray that these words would help you go to Jesus. Where is He in the midst of all of this? Go to Jesus and ask Him for counsel and wisdom. And let Him guide you. Hold His hand and follow Him. He leads us to a place of truth, which ultimately helps us and those around us.