The definition of resentment is bitter indignation and displeasure at having been treated unfairly. A persistent ill-will at something regarded as wrong, an insult, or an injury. It could be an act made against you or a remark made by a person. It is a very complex multi-layered emotion mixed with disappointment, disgust, anger, hostility, envy, grievances and feelings of revenge. It is a strong emotion. A lot of people don’t want to admit that they have strong negative emotions. You might say you dislike or are annoyed with someone because those words are milder and you don’t want to admit that you actually have hate in your heart toward anyone because it is such a strong word.
Resentment is a very strong and destructive emotion. The complete opposite word for resentment is love. If you are resentful toward someone, you are not loving them. Some may think the opposite of love is hate. Hate and anger are components of resentment.
If resentment lands on you, you want to make sure you take it off quickly. Don’t let it take root. If you have resentment, you are angry because you have been treated unfairly. In general, if you have some resentment in your heart, it is going to overflow in your attitude, overflow in the decisions you make, you can be easily critical of people and in your relationships.
There is a quote from Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame: Resentment is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die. You are hurting yourself. Resentment puts you in bondage to it. It doesn’t release on its own. So what can we do to free ourselves? How do we break free from it? Rick says, no psycho-babble will get you out of it. The only thing that is going to get you out of it is Jesus. Going to him and casting all of your cares upon Him.
One thing you have to do first off is to acknowledge that you have resentment in your life. You can’t go to Jesus about it if you are in denial that you have a problem. Resentment is sin. The next thing is to think about the other person and you need to forgive them. Then, You have to decide that you are not going to harm the other person. Make a conscience decision, or then you will be the one doing the harm and you will have to ask for forgiveness.
Rick got the picture of a somebody who has a little tiny snowball. When you go out after a fresh snow, and it has warmed up a little bit, the snow that was so fresh, it gets sticky. And you take that little snowball of resentment and you start to roll it and start to play with it. What you need to do is destroy it. What you want to do is roll it up into a ball and you want to throw it as someone. Or you want to make such a big snowball or a boulder out of it that you can roll it over them.
What did Jesus do when he faced mocking and injustices? He was falsely accused. He faced all kind of things that He could have been resentful for but He wasn’t. And on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He looked inside the person and understood that they didn’t even realize what they were doing but He forgave them anyways and He was treated just about as unfairly as anyone could have been treated.
So today if anyone can relate to what Rick and Robin have talked about, and you are saying that is me. You have resentment for somebody for something they did. And you may be totally right in what they did is wrong. Jesus was totally right in what He was saying about those who were killing Him and they knew it. Jesus is our example. The one who set before us what to say and how to be. He forgave us and he tells us to forgive others as He has forgiven us.
If you want to move on and move forward, forgive others who have hurt you, who have abandoned you, who have persecuted you, who have spoken falsely against you. That is what you do to live a radical life.
