Article February 13, 2017 Issue

Victory over resentment

Martha Sarvis

Recently, when I felt that I had been treated unfairly, I was fuming to a friend that I felt justified in responding with harsh words. My friend alerted me to the fact that resentment doesn’t bring healing and that in order to progress, I needed to let it go.

My friend’s identification of my response as resentment got me to thinking and praying. Although I was still feeling justified in my words, I was inspired to search Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy to see what she said about resentment. I found one use of that word. She writes: “Judas had the world’s weapons. Jesus had not one of them, and chose not the world’s means of defence. ‘He opened not his mouth.’ The great demonstrator of Truth and Love was silent before envy and hate. Peter would have smitten the enemies of his Master, but Jesus forbade him, thus rebuking resentment or animal courage. He said: ‘Put up thy sword’ ” (p. 48).

It was a healing moment for me. I thought: “Wow, resentment isn’t this little thing I can let linger in thought. And no matter what was said or done to me, I want no part of it.”

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