Invite Jesus to Heal Your Negative Mindsetနမူနာ

Let go of resentment

Maybe you don’t like your boss. Maybe you see many faults in those around you and think you deserve better. Maybe you resent paying so much tax when government seems so wasteful.

You may think your resentment is justified. Maybe it is, on a human level. But here’s the thing: it is not helping you.

Resentment is like carrying a big bag of stones. It stops you soaring upwards towards God. So how to get rid of it? Here’s three ways. Practice them every day, and with God’s help you will make good progress.

1. Practice gratitude. Make it part of your daily prayers to reflect on all that God has given you: an incredible mind, which can reflect on the beauty of creation; an intricate and miraculous body; wonderful food to eat, when so many are starving; a place to live, when so many are homeless. When we stop and look at the gifts we have received, how can we be resentful?
2. See each person as an image of God. Always look for the best in people. Remember that God made that person, and loves them more than you can know. When God loves them so much, how can you resent them? As God waits patiently for them to grow, why are you so quick to condemn them?
3. Reflect on Jesus’ words: “Who are you to judge another man’s servant?” May God allow us to see our own failings and not those of our brothers. Resentment comes from pride . . . from thinking we are better than the other person. But Jesus told us: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

God has showered us with gifts—the best of all being his love. Let us do our best to be worthy of him. Let us ask him to bless our dealings with others so that we may bring his love into the world.