My husband has landscaped our large native garden with rocks and stones that he found on the side of roads. We would scour our area for rocks during the lockdowns and carry them back to our yard. They were heavy. We also ordered soil and shovelled trailer loads into our garden beds. It was back-breaking heavy work, but it sure gave us a project during COVID, when we could only leave our property for two hours per day.

A stone is heavy, and the sand or soil is weighty. Yet resentment is even weightier! It is quite a load to carry when you are bear the resentment and bitterness of a fool, i.e., a person whose actions provoke anger. Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t poke the bear” Well, a foolish person finds pleasure in provoking another to anger, finding their weak spot, and pushing their buttons till they snap?

It is easy to resent such a person and become entrapped in an unhealthy relationship. For example, I remember a friend many years ago who would provoke their opponents to throw them off guard when playing cards, and they usually ended up winning the game. Over time resentment built up in our group as it did not seem fair play. A heaviness overtook the atmosphere until we no longer enjoyed playing together, and eventually, we avoided playing with the provoker.

A heavy heart, atmosphere, or load is never fun and can be likened to weightier than a stone. The person who loses out is often not the one who provokes but ends up feeling resentment because they have allowed themselves to be provoked. If you can identify with this, then I encourage you to walk away, forgive the provoker, and not allow yourself to carry a heavy burden of resentment. Instead, give it to Jesus who says,

Matthew 11:28

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest“.

Listen to This is the Kingdom by Pat Barnett Elevation and be encouraged to lay your burden down, it does not need to be heavy.

Until next week Leisa

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