One of my favorite books is called ‘Just for Today’. I’ve read it cover to cover many times. Some of you may be familiar with it and some may not. There are ‘pearls of wisdom’ on virtually every page and I wish to share one of them with all of you. I did not write this but I feel it could apply to all…
Sometimes we need something tangible to help us understand what holding a resentment is doing to us. We may not be aware of how destructive resentments actually are. We think, “So what, I have a right to be angry,” or, “I might be nursing a grudge or two, but I don’t see the harm.”
To see more clearly the effect that holding resentments is having in our lives, we might try imagining that we are carrying a rock for each resentment. A small grudge, such as anger at someone driving badly, might be represented by a pebble. Harboring ill will toward an entire group of people might be represented by an enormous boulder. If we actually had to carry stones for each resentment, we would surely tire of the weight. In fact, the more cumbersome our burden, the more sincere out efforts to unload it would be.
The weight of our resentments hinders our spiritual development. If we truly desire freedom, we will seek to rid ourselves of as much extra weight as possible. As we lighten up, we’ll notice an increased ability to forgive our fellow human beings for their mistakes, and to forgive ourselves for our own. We’ll nourish our spirits with good thoughts, kind words, and service to others.
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Just for today: I will seek to have the burden of resentments removed from my spirit.
DANIEL THOMAS, JR 