Dealing with Anger, Bitterness, and Resentment

ANGER, BITTERNESS, & RESENTMENT

Well, since my blog is dealing with assisting individuals how to live life undefeated, I think that it is best to realize that the only way we can live life undefeated is first by believing in the someone who already has given us the victory over all things… That someone is Jesus Christ our Lord and our Saviour. Lord, because He is the Someone that we choose to follow and obey… Saviour, because He died in my place, in your place… where we are guilty of death, he died that death for us so that we can live. As I write these posts, they will almost always relate to a relationship with God and His Word, the Bible and where it doesn’t, please acknowledge what was mentioned at first that it is only by that relationship that we can overcome all things.

When I say living life defeated, I mean allowing the cares of this world to decide what kind of person you will be and what your actions will entail, what you think, and what you desire. Allowing the bad and ugly in this life to beat you down to where you stay down and choose not to get up again. That is living a defeated life, giving up, and surrendering.

Now, there are many things that can cause us to live a defeated life: anger, bitterness, and resentment, unconquered temptations, low self esteem, fear, loneliness, depression, childhood hurts, addictions, and many more. We are going to cover many of these items in the following posts. Our first set will be Anger, Bitterness, and Resentment. As we learn to conquer our anger, bitterness, and resentment, we build a new state of mind for ourselves.

Anger – The basic emotion of extreme displeasure or exasperation in reaction to a person, a situation, or an object. The synonyms to anger are annoyance, irritation, fury, rage, antagonism, resentment, incense, inflame, madden, ire, outrage, steam up, tick off… there are so many definitions for it. I wanted to list a good amount so that you understand that “Anger” comes under many names.

Bitterness – marked by intensity or severity; accompanied by severe pain or suffering; exhibiting intense animosity; harshly reproachful; marked by cynicism and rancor; expressive of severe pain, grief, or regret. Synonyms of bitterness are: acrid, acrimonious, embittered, hard, rancorous, resentful, and sore.

Resentment – a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury. Synonyms of resentment are: grievance, grudge, or keeping score.

When we are angry, be it for a good reason or not, for a long or short period of time, it effects us, mentally, physically, spiritually, and of course, emotionally. Anger can cause negative reactions and situations in a relationship when expressed unconstructively. So, we want to learn how to get rid of our anger, whether it has plagued us for all of our lives or is a sudden issue. As we learn these techniques, our state of mind will also change thus allowing us to overcome even more.  Next, we will cover the 7 steps that should be taken to deliver us from anger, resentment, and bitterness.

1. Admit that you are angry. Be honest to yourself and with God. Don’t try to hide your genuine feelings. Heb. 4:13; Eph. 4:26

2. Discover why you are angry. (This may require you to look into your past or speak with a counselor.) Gen. 4:6

3. Although it is ok to be angry for a good reason, don’t let your emotions control you. (Prov. 16:32; Eccl. 7:9; Prov. 14:29)

4. Give your anger to God. Remember angry words stir up anger in others. (Prov. 15:1; Ps. 37:7, 8).

5. Forgive others who have wronged you, even if they haven’t asked for forgiveness, nor apologized. Because the purpose of the forgiveness is for your sake not theirs. Since God has forgiven you for what you have done to Him, ask Him to give you forgiveness for what others have done to you. (Eph. 4:32; Lk. 11:4; Col. 3:13)

6. Forgive yourself for things you have done and for being angry. (1 Jn. 1:9)

7. Deal with anger quickly. Don’t let it accumulate. If you need to ask someone’s forgiveness, do it. (Eph. 4:26)

Now, while we know that there is nothing wrong with being angry for a good reason, it is the holding on to anger that gives us the trouble and isn’t good according to Eph 4:29-32. You see, anger progresses into resentment and resentment progresses into bitterness. So, if we avoid holding onto the anger, the other 2 will take care of themselves. These things cause us not to be able to move on in our lives. It holds us back from accomplishing our plans and goals and even more so is a stumbling block from fulfilling what God has planned for us. Let's have a new state of mind, one that is free from such vices.

Let’s stop the devil in his tracks today by letting go of any anger, resentment, and bitterness thus allowing ourselves to live life victoriously!

Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

You know... I always wondered where labor day came from and my parents and family really couldn't give much information on it.  So, I began to look around and found this excellent article that I wanted to share with you.

Labor Day means many things to us. For most, it means a day off from work. For many, it means the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of fall. For some, it means a chance to get away for a long weekend.

However, Labor Day is one of those holidays that you reap the benefits from but that many people don't actually know the true significance of. The commercialization of many holidays, including Labor Day, also hasn't helped with that.

So in case you're wondering, Labor Day actually has a long historical tradition about the workers that built this nation. Read on to find out what this holiday is all about so that when you're sipping Mai Tais on the beach, you know why you're able to do so.

What is Labor Day?

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday in September every year. In 2014, the holiday falls on Sept. 1. It's a day dedicated to celebrating the efforts of workers, past and present, that have helped provide the social, political and economic backbone of this country.

How did it start?

Labor Day was borne out of the U.S. labor movement toward the end of the 19th century when workers sought better working conditions, fairer wages and union representation. There is some debate over who is the true founder of the holiday. For much of history, Peter McGuire, the founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, was credited as the founder of Labor Day. Sources say that McGuire stood in front of the New York Central Labor Union on May 12, 1882 to declare that a day be set aside to celebrate the nation's workforce.

However, recent research from the New Jersey Historical Society questions McGuire's role in the holiday's creation. The organization found a column in the New Jersey-based newspaper the Morning Call that referred to Matthew Maguire, a Central Labor Union of New York leader, as the "Father of the Labor Day holiday." Some believe that McGuire received credit for the founding of Labor Day because Maguire's views were too radical.

At any rate, the first Labor Day holiday was signed into law in Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Oregon in 1887. The ordinance passed in many of the other states through the years, and on June 28, 1894, Congress declared the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

Why is Labor Day in September?

Although you probably think Labor Day is in September to liven up a not-so-festive time of the year, the month was actually chosen because a Knights of Labor conference was being held in New York on Sept. 5, 1882, the date of the first Labor Day celebration. Though the Central Labor Union held the event on that date the next year, by 1884, the group decided to celebrate the holiday on the first Monday in September.

Although you probably think Labor Day is in September to liven up a not-so-festive time of the year, the month was actually chosen because a Knights of Labor conference was being held in New York on Sept. 5, 1882, the date of the first Labor Day celebration. Though the Central Labor Union held the event on that date the next year, by 1884, the group decided to celebrate the holiday on the first Monday in September.

Everyone knows that one of the rules of fashion is that once Labor Day comes and goes, it's time to pack away those white jeans until summer comes again. Where did this seemingly arbitrary rule come from?

White clothing has long been seen as a way to stay cool in the summer months. Some say it was the uniform of escaped urbanites during the warmer months, so when you returned to the city upon summer's end, you would get back to your regular routine of wearing darker clothing. As the middle class expanded in the 1950s, the "no white after Labor Day" rule became a way those of old money and some smart social climbers could distinguish who really belonged in the upper eschelons of society.

These days, the rule doesn't carry as much clout as it once did, but even if you choose to wear a white dress in the middle of February, you still know you're not supposed to be doing it.

Do other countries celebrate Labor Day?

The U.S. isn't the only country to set aside a day to celebrate workers. Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday in September in Canada. Australians celebrate Labour Day in March or October, depending on what territory they live in. Labor Day is celebrated on the first Friday of June in the Bahamas. Most countries around the world celebrate International Workers' Day, or May Day, on May 1.

What does Labor Day mean to us today?

No, Labor Day isn't just a poorly reviewed movie starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin these days. There's still plenty of labor issues at play. In addition to concerns over unemployment rates, the gender wage gap and a livable minimum wage have been hot topics in recent years. But observing Labor Day every year hasn't really seemed to affect very much.

What can you do this Labor Day?

So, if you know someone who has a job, or works hard even if they don't get paid for it (house wife/husband and mother/father), choose to do a good deed to them for labor day to just show your appreciation for what they do.  Who knows, someone may do the same for you... and you know what... you deserve it.

Brought To You by:  http://www.techtimes.com/articles/14409/20140829/why-do-we-celebrate-labor-day.htm  with last paragraph alteration by PJ.