Anger, Resentment, Bitterness, and Hatred

 

Anger, Resentment, Bitterness, and Hatred

by Wanda Danner Mehlhoff

28 Aug 2001

            What happens to our inner being when we experience these characteristics?  Who do we become?  Can you feel at peace?  Is your life always in a turmoil?  Why do we hang onto these things that create these feelings inside of us–is it pride or is it our way of controlling to get what we want or do we hold on to it hoping that the person(s) will feel as miserable as we do?  Last night after watching a movie named “American History X”, I really started thinking about these things called Anger and Hatred.  I felt my eyes were opened to see what Satan really does not want us to know.  I detest it when I know someone has been speaking ill of me.  When I speak ill of someone else, I detest myself because I can’t keep my big mouth shut and just let it die down.  Last night it was shown to me that I was like a big ugly snake that could spew poisonous venom to anyone that hurt me.  The venom–that’s the ugly, nasty things that I say to other people about the person who I detest.  Why do I have to go and say anything to anyone else about the person I detest?  I want them to think more highly of me than the other person, when in reality I’m just as low for speaking ill of that person.  There’s a saying of Will Durant, “To speak ill of someone is to give yourself a cheap compliment.”  I don’t like anything that’s cheap, so why would I give myself a cheap compliment?  Then the venom that I’ve just spewed not only hurts me, but it hurts the person that I just spoke to and the person that I’m speaking about.  What I’m talking about is nothing but called “gossip.”  We think we’ve got the inside “scoop,” so we are called to pass it on.  Yes, we are called by Satan to pass it on.  You know when the witch is stirring her brew in the caldron, you never know what’s in it.  So, in reality, you never know what you’re gonna get served.  We have that saying “Every Dog Will Have His Day,” well we can be that dog that’s gonna have our day and it won’t be pleasant.  But when the ills come to us, we cry out to the Lord, “Why me, Lord?”  And the Lord should answer to us, “Why not you?”  Oh we want to laud ourselves when we repeat or say these things, but we are really putting ourselves in bad light.  As you are speaking ill of someone to someone whom you think is gonna keep it to themselves, then think again...they can’t be trusted anymore than you can.  So, the witch continues to stir her brew and it keeps getting hotter and hotter and the aroma is not pleasant to the nostrils.  If you find someone that you do not like, then pray for them and stay away from them; but for Heaven’s sake, don’t go spreading anymore hatred or anger.  All you want is for that person that you’re telling it to is to take up offense for you.  Oh, and don’t say, “Don’t take up offense for me.”  That’s exactly what you want them to–again, Satan is here–alive and well–to seek, destroy, and devour anyone who calls themselves Christian.  We need to be truthful to ourselves and tell ourselves what we are really feeling–is it rejection?  No one and I mean no one likes rejection, so why as Christians do we reject others.  Again, we put ourselves in a controlling position.  Why not put yourself in a “good” controlling position and pray for that person whom you are wanting to destroy.  God gave us all our own unique personalities, and He made everything beautiful!  So, why do we feel that we have the authority to come behind Him and destroy what He’s made.  True, we start out feeling Anger and Bitterness and these produce Resentment and Hatred and creates pure Strife!  As Christians, we cannot be the person that God intended for us to be when we harbor all these nasty things.  I have a suggestion–rather than telling anyone else the ills that you feel about another person, read the words to the Hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”  He’s the one you should go to, and He’s really the only One who can make a difference!  He will not repeat what you said; so, you don’t have to worry about that.  He can change your heart, and He can change that person that you’ve prayed about!