Sneaky Resentment

Well, your humble correspondent has not been so humble lately.Heres the story.

Some resentments are fairly obvious: somebody assualts you, breaks into your house or whatever and you resent them. Others however are more sneaky, they sneak up on you that you hardly notice your getting resentful as they form and then bam-you are.


I just went through this. Its a long story really. My former landlord evicted the person that was working on a car I was restoring. The eviction was deserved. However, it left me holding the bag. The landlord had made an agreement with me about this problem person but then went back on it without discussing it with me. Probably cost me $15,000. I do think he should have discussed it with me but he didnt. Also he was pretty ungracious about the way he went about it.

I was left with a car and a motor home in total states of disrepair. Worse, the landlord evicted the tenant and then charged me rent on vehicles I couldnt move. Every time I sent him a rental payment I did so relunctunctly and there was a kind of subtle resentment about it that was hardly conscious.

The worst thing is that when he evicted the tenant he gave him 30 days notice. I was out of state and couldnt do anything. He knew the man was a thief and even heard him working on one of the vehicle. He didnt investigate or do anything even though I had sent letters saying the mechanic was not authorized to remove any parts. Well during the 30 day eviction period the mechanic stole about $2000 worth of additional parts.

The strange thing was I more angry at the landlord than the jerk who stole the parts. Over the last 5-6 months this has sort of subtly preyed on my mind in my thoughts. I do think the landlord should have given the thief 3 days notice and not a 30 day opportunity to steal me blind. And the more I thought about it a subtle resentment started to form; it sneaked up on me.


Well, I had a conversatio the other day and blew up at the landlord. I actually felt better after I did. However, I couldnt deny that I had become resentful. And I am one person who knows how dangerous resentments are.

I did call the landlord up and apologize for the resentment. I said it wasnt right no matter how selfish or ungracious he had been.


So you can see I have sinned. The sad truth is there seem to be a sort of very subtle pleasure in resentment. I have admitted I am wrong and I have asked the Lord to forgive me. I realize my salvation depends on being patient and long suffering.

Prayer does seem to help in this things.



"In your patience possess ye your souls" -New Testament