Lightening the load
“It will not make us better people to judge the faults of another. It will make us feel
better to clean up our lives…”
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
really 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 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 our 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.
Just for today: I will seek to have the burden of resentments removed from my
spirit.