Dealing with Resentments
I’ve been grappling lately with a resentment that has affected my serenity. D Thankfully, the Big Book offers an extremely effective method for dealing with resentments. It has been my experience in the past that it works – plain and simple, “it works if you work it”.
“It you have a resentment you want to be free of, if you will pray for the person or the thing that you resent, you will be free. If you will ask in prayer for everything you want for yourself to be given to them, you will be free. Ask for their health, their prosperity, their happiness, and you will be free. Even when you don’t really want it for them and your prayers are only words and you don’t mean it, go ahead and do it anyway. Do it every day for two weeks, and you will find you have come to mean it and to want it for them, and you will realize that where you used to feel bitterness and resentment and hatred you now feel compassionate understanding and love.”
It was my first Sponsor years ago who suggested this exercise for dealing with resentments ~ except she suggested that I do the praying for 30 days ~ I guess she figured I was a slow-learner. J But, I have found repeatedly over the years that this works ~ in fact, I usually find that at the end of two weeks I have forgotten to pray for the person because the resentment was gone, it just was not an issue anymore. If it happens that I get to the end of two weeks and I still feel the resentment, I extend the time another two weeks. Rarely have I found that necessary, but certainly the resentment is gone before the end of that second two weeks.
I encourage you to share about how resentments have affected your sobriety or your life in general and how you resolve them. Or, please feel free to share if you have a burning issue that affects your sobriety.