Resentment is a Killer

God has been reminding me lately of the the same thing He told Cain in Genesis : "Sin crouches at the door of your heart but you must master it." What is this sin? Resentment. I seem to be overwhelmed by it as a boy is overwhelmed by breakers at the beach. It just rises up. I have had some time to think about it and I still have no answer save a few sources of why we all may feel that way at some point.

* Like the football player who sits on the sideline watching his team get crushed, he thinks "if they had only put me in, I'da caught that ball." Resentment can set in when we don't feel like we're being used to the best of our ability and must suffer the consequences at the choices or actions of others.

* I think of Judas and possibly the other discipes who wished Jesus had done something about the Roman occupation or those bothersome Pharisees. They knew Jesus had the power and did not use it. One theory about Judas' betrayal was that he was forcing the hand of God. His thinking, "Jesus must act if I put him in this position". We can become resentful when we don't trust our leadership.

* Unachieved goals seem to dovetail into the above point. We resent the fact that we as "visionaries" can see great things but others cannot. When we as an orgainzaton do not reach our full potential because of the laziness, ignorance, or incompetance we begin to sour. Resentment finds a place in the heart of unfulfilled dreams and lost potential.

These are just a few thoughts that help me work out my own junk. Your comments are always welcome. Wait, someone's knocking on my door. Hope it's the cable guy.

Let the sparks fly.

Paul Turner