Not Resentful by David Jeremiah

“Not Resentful” 

Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. 
Job 5:2 (NIV) 

Recommended Reading 2 Timothy 2:22-26

The word resentment comes from the Latin term sentire, which means “to feel.” When you put the “re-” in front of it, it means “to feel again.” When someone offends us, we feel anger or shame. As we recall the event, we keep dredging up those emotions, and they harden into resentment. Sometimes the memories get stuck in our heads and we replay them over and over. When this happens, it destroys love, tears down marriages, ruins friendships, and devastates our internal peace of mind.

If that’s happening to you, study how Paul advised Timothy to handle his conflicts with false teachers: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” (2 Timothy 2:23-24, NIV).

We can’t avoid feelings of anger when we’re offended or hurt, and it takes time to process difficult emotions. But don’t replay the offense over and over in your mind. Give the hurt to the Lord, learn to release the bitterness, and uproot resentment before it uproots you.

Resentment makes us permanently angry; it carves deep lines on our faces. It adds a heaviness to our very steps. This is no way to live.
David Jeremiah