A Purified Heart – October 31, 1999
Peace of mind is a treasure available to every person on earth, and is lost only when we allow it to be taken from us. There are many culprits that linger in the shadows of our existence, waiting to prey upon our peace. One of the worst of these is resentment. When someone does something that causes pain in our lives, we can deal with it by taking action, trying to resolve it, dismissing it; or we can languish in feelings of resentment.
Someone once said, “Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”1 A woman became obsessed with the resentment she felt toward her former husband, who had abandoned her and their children. Her health began to fail. It wasn’t what she was eating that was making her sick, but what was eating her. When she realized this, she sought help through prayer. Her heart softened and became forgiving. She now has no animosity in her heart, and is at peace once more. In the process she has regained her good health.
When we are free of resentment toward others, we have more energy and time to focus on the good things of life. We are then open to reach out with a pure heart and help others in need. Not only is our own life blessed, but the lives of all who come in contact with us. The peace this feeling brings will shine through our eyes and cause our countenance to glow, inviting others to feel our love and share in our peace.
By resisting resentment, we can walk the path that brings peace into our neighborhoods, our homes, and into our own minds and hearts.
Program #3663
1. Malachy McCourt, in “Quotable Quotes,” Reader’s Digest (Pleasantville, N.Y.: Nov. 1998), 73.