Question: Father, how do I cope with resentment and remembering past offences for too long?
Answer: Resentment is like a thorn in one’s soul. If you don’t pull it out, it’ll fester, and your soul will suffer. Why do we choose to let it stay inside our souls? You’ve got to pull it out. When we pull a thorn out, it may be painful. We have to use a needle to extract it. It is an unpleasant procedure, isn’t it? The same is true for resentment. I think you just have to understand that you’ve got to keep on living and that the thorn will hinder you. You should go to the Heavenly Doctor and ask him to forgive you and to empower you in the struggle with that sin. You should meet that person who offended you and tell him some kind and pleasant words if you can. That’s up to you. The effort is yours. If you don’t feel like looking at that person and prefer to run away, you should force yourself to say a kind word to him or her or even give them candy. It’s an extremely efficient way of coping with resentment. You’ll feel relieved, for sure. Satan does everything he can to make an individual live with that thorn in his soul. You may forget it over time but if you don’t pull that thorn out of your soul, you’ll bear the burden all the time. That is why you should get rid of the resentment that resides in your heart as soon as possible and eradicate that sin with God’s help. God bless you.
