Fr Richard Rohr has written, ...let go of your attachment to your self-image, your expectations, your very ideas. Every such 'set up' is a resentment waiting to happen.
I do believe that to be true. I believe, too, our resentment comes from our resistance to any perceived "attack" on our self-image, expectations and very ideas. I am not saying such attacks do not come...it is just that they touch us less, the less we react.
There are a multitude of ways to respond (not react), and our time is well spent pondering responses we might say that reflect our own values...in other words, that fit us. Responses such as, "You may be right" which is probably my favorite; putting my hand out in the "halt" position and saying "Whoa!" works for me, too. A friend of mine uses. "I regret you feel that way."
I used to think saying absolutely nothing was best, and it maybe, but it doesn't quiet my ego Lucy. I have finally accepted that my ego Lucy must have a say and to pretend not actually feeds the resentment.
There are those who will not be deflected. To me, they are Lucy in the flesh, and saying "God bless" and removing myself from their presence is best for all concerned...meaning, me, myself and Lucy.
None of that is possible, according to me, without a personal commitment to still more spiritual growth. Interestingly, without a personal need for spiritual growth, the idea of not responding in kind would have been a laugh to my reasoning mind.
There it is...the proof that resist not evil is the paradoxical path to Heaven...a.k.a., peace of mind.
Thank you.
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