Over the past two days, I have been thinking about resentment. In my Lenten readings, Henri Nouwen writes in From Love to Fear that “resentment is probably one of the most pervasive evils of our time.” He also says that it is the pitfall of those faithful and obedient people who do the right thing. The danger of resentment is that it settles deep within the heart and is unnoticed by those who harbor it.
So I have been reflecting on where resentment may have settled in my heart. I don’t think of myself as a resentful person, but that is the danger of it. It hides behind the “appearance of a holy life.” If I am honest with myself, I hold resentment. And surprisingly, some of my resentments are not against people, but against situations or conditions.
For example, the house in which I live has a number of structural issues and mold and mildew problems. I resent these problems. I resent the house. I resent having to live in it.
So I must ask myself how does this type of resentment affect my spiritual life? My emotional life? My physical life? I am not free from resentment.
But better to acknowledge my resentments than to be lost in them and not know it. So I ask you:
What resentments are hiding in your heart?
2 comments:
Many years ago I heard someone in a 12 step meeting say, "Expectations are pre-meditated resentments". That's a deeper layer to unpeel.
That totally resonates. I believe it to be true, no matter how innocent the pre-meditation may be.
Post a Comment