Close Please enter your Username and Password
Reset Password
If you've forgotten your password, you can enter your email address below. An email will then be sent with a link to set up a new password.
Cancel
Reset Link Sent
Password reset link sent to
Check your email and enter the confirmation code:
Don't see the email?
  • Resend Confirmation Link
  • Start Over
Close
If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service


Katididaustralia 66F
49 posts
9/14/2014 9:58 pm
Do You Harbour Resentment Or Do You Forgive?


How do you deal with disappointment, hurt and anger?
It is not always easy when we have great rushes of emotion and our systems are flooded with hormones and adrenaline and our first instinct is to respond in like kind or let words rush off our tongues.
James 3:2 For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle also his whole body.
Of course, we are not perfect and it is easy to say -just walk away until we settle down- but more often than not it is too late and we live to rue our actions or responses.
Then also, if we walk away, do we just hold on to resentments and bitterness with feelings not dealt with. Feelings that once again someone has walked all over us.

Sometimes, it is the first line of action to look at our own part in a situation and forgive ourselves for any part we have played. Recognizing that we all fall down.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Quite often we can forgive others fairly easily but will have difficulty forgiving ourselves.
That old adage applies -Do nt be so hard on yourself!
I have personally found that if I forgive myself first then the forgiveness to another follows more readily.
Easier said than done -you say- and I agree but we need to look at ourselves to see how very often we ourselves fail at living up to Gods standards.
Are we all too ready to overlook our own faults to just settle on the faults of another?
Do we jump at every little wrong word said to or against us or our opinions?
Are we too ready to make a cutting reply or write a scathing return?
Ecclesiastes 7:21+22 Also, do not take to heart every word that people say, otherwise, you may hear your servant calling down evil on you, for you well know in your heart, that many times you yourself have called down evil on others.
Try hard not to take things so seriously. Once again, easily said, but it is something we have to continually practice at so as to not destroy our inner peace and our standing with Jah.
Ecclesiastes 7:8+9 Better is the end of a matter than its beginning. Better to be patient than to be haughty in spirit. Do not be quick to take offense, for the taking of offense lodges in the bosom of fools.
The lodging in the bosom is like that nasty lump we can get in our throat from distress that will not go away until we have stop festering on a problem or issue. One way or another it makes us ill.

We also have a not-so-wonderful gift from satan called self-justification and we are so good(or bad) at using it at any and every turn.
Recognizing that we also are imperfect and have many failings can help us overlook the faults of others.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with humility consider others superior to you, as you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.
If with humility we can view others needs as more superior to our own we can more easily forgive and let go of resentment. Resentment that more often than not only serves to make ourselves sick spiritually and physically.
Remembering that Jehovah God does not harbour resentment. If He did we would have no chance whatsoever in this life as we simply would not have any hope of salvation. How many times do we hurt the heart of God with our thoughtless humanity.
Isaiah 55:Seven Let the wicked man leave his way and the evil man his thoughts, let him return to Jehovah, who will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will forgive in a large way.
We also need to strive to be large in this respect.

Pride seems all to often to rule our hearts and minds.
Really, in many instances, what harm can rumours and unwieldy talk really us do if we ourselves take little notice of it, whereas, if we retain bitterness it can cut us deeply with many pains.
Proverbs 19:11 The insight of a man certainly slows down his anger, and it is beauty on his part to overlook an offense.
No every word said is said in malice. Quite often it is simple thoughtlessness. It can be hurtful but really, it is often just a small disappointment. Life can throw so much at us, that to harbour resentment over the small things is to magnify tenfold, the big things, and that is surely something we do not need!

If we keep on trying to look for the positive things in a person and let go the often small negatives, to give the benefit of the doubt, we will benefit ourselves greatly as well as the other person.
It is not loving to feed on anothers faults and mistakes so that a seed of hatred is planted in ourselves and which can then become a giant tree that finally bursts out with poisonous fruit.
How many examples of this do we see every single day on the news!
Mankinds history is full of such examples.
Just because our examples may be small does not make them any less poisonous.
Besides, who is it we are poisoning?
Ourselves!
It causes anger, frustration, depression and negative thoughts and the list of illness is endless. Worst of all is our relationship with God!

Be quick to forgive.
It requires willingness
Be generous with forgiveness as something to be given.
Do not mull it over for endless amounts of time.
Holding the grudge is like copious rain upon the poison of resentment.
Instead, spray that poisonous tree with the weedkiller of love.

How do we forgive in a large way?
How do we forgive quickly?
1 Peter 3:8+9 Finally, all of you have unity of mind, fellow feeling, brotherly affection, tender compassion, and humility. Do not pay back injury for injury or insult for insult. Instead, repay with a blessing, for you were called to this course, so that you might inherit a blessing.
What is fellow feeling. It is empathy. Remembering that we are all the same.. Born of the same dust of the earth and into a satan filled world.
Consider the others feelings and how you would like to be treated.
Even in the face of bad treatment itself. Jesus is our prime example in this.
Should we hurt in return or should we respond with reasonableness and kindness?
Matthew 5:44 However, I say to you -Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you.
It is very difficult to hate someone you are praying for!
1 Peter 2:21+23 In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely. He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth. When he was being insulted, he did not insult in return. When he was suffering, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the One who judges righteously.
Genuine mercy enables us to forgive freely and there are repercussions to ourselves for wrong reasoning.
Matthew 6:14+15 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Whereas if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

If we speak to a friend about the issue, try to look for a friend who will be impartial, as an emotionally charged response will only feed into your feelings of anger and hurt. Not alleviating the feelings at all but instead making that tree of resentment grow bigger. Whereas, if we view things as Jehovah God does then we will have peace and joy in our lives.
Ezekiel 18:22 Now if someone wicked turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps my statutes and does what is just and righteous, he will surely keep living. He will not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed will be held against him. He will keep living for doing what is righteous.

That is not to say that we have not suffered real injustice in our lives.
Murder, hatred, sexual crimes. beatings, robbery and malicious gossip.
These things are so much more difficult to deal with.
Still, taking into account God's view on things, praying constantly for His help and guidance and throwing our concerns on Him will give us a measure of peace to keep ministering to others and helping them learn of the Good News of the Kingdom to come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was touched, as so often happens with God, when I sat down to see what notes I had to write to you today, because I had an episode with my neighbour only a few minutes beforehand, over a relatively small incident of tree-loppers she had in cutting down a pine on our fence line.
They had carelessly allowed branches to drop down and damage a hibiscus that I have been tending carefully for two years and it had been just come on to a beautiful shape but now it is all broken and lop sided.
Sadly, I let this get the better of me and I growled at the blokes in no uncertain terms.
Now, that would have been bad enough, on my part, but then my neighbour yelled out from her porch at me to -Mind my own business and let them get on with their job!
Straight out of my mouth I told her to -Shut up! and then growled some more.
Now I did not swear at them but that does not make it better and now I am feeling vexed at my neighbour and I made phone calls to see about building a bigger fence.
Deadset! Talk about overreaction.
My only excuse is that I had a raging headache and had been trying to sleep it off and the noise was not helping.
Still, that is only a poor excuse and now I feel petty and bad and am fighting to not justify myself and blame my neighbour for butting in with her two bobs worth.

I thought it was wonderful that the notes I picked up first to write to you all was on this Very subject! Just when I needed Gods reminders and help the most.
Jehovah God works in wonderful ways doesn't He and thank Him for His patience toward us.
I am sure I am going to have a bit of time with the whole situation stuck in my head but with Jahs help it will pass quickly enough and I can forgive myself for my poor showing.
Time to heed my own advice, 'ey.

Hallelujah,
Katidid.