Resentment

“They spend their entire lives in darkness, in constant frustration, sickness, and resentment.” (Ecc. 5:17 GWT)

My first laptop was a gift from my husband. I was extremely grateful. I personalized it--changed the settings and  background, saved my favorite pages to load easily, etc. After a few months, I grew attached to it. If anyone wanted to use MY laptop, or even worse, change the settings--I became resentful. What was once seen as a gift, freely given--had now become my possession. Once I got accustomed to having it, I felt it was rightfully mine. And what had started off as gratefulness had mutated into resentment.

Everything is a gift from God--life, health, relationships, children, abilities, privacy, peace, homes, freedom, security, faith. Our tendency to add the word “MY” to these gifts shows our possessiveness: MY Life, MY health, MY relationships...

When we feel entitled to something, we feel indignant when it is taken away. One way to minimize resentment is to see every gift as temporary-- something borrowed, something to enjoy while we have it, but not ours to possess forever.  

“The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!" (Job 1:21 NLT)