Posts Tagged: retiring from the accounting business

“The Quest for a Resentment-Free Life”

On May 24, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

Love “. . .  is not irritable orresentful;” (1 Corinthians 13:5, English Standard Version)

I am on a quest for a resentment-free life.  So, since the Bible has a frustrating amount of information concerning human tendencies toward self-destruction and other forms of stupidity, I decided to do a word search.

Interestingly, as far as I can tell, the words “resent” and “resentment” don’t occur anywhere in the English Standard Version.  And the word “resentful” occurs only once, in the verse that leads off this post.  However, this verse is in an interesting context, and the Greek word that is translated “resentful” is quite illuminating.

As to context, this word occurs in what is undoubtedly the most famous chapter in all Paul’s letters, Paul’s so-called “Love Chapter.”  This chapter is read at many weddings, but (unfortunately) ignored in many marriages.  1 Corinthians 13 speaks of how vital love is to the Christian life, particularly in the context of the exercise of spiritual gifts in the church (1 Corinthians 12-14).  No doubt, the chapter has a wider application, so it is good to read it at weddings and anywhere else.  Even better than reading it is living it out.

After speaking of how essential love is, Paul speaks of what love does and doesn’t do.  Paul finishes his chapter on love with the fact that the only three things that last are faith, hope, and love.  Though Paul lists love last, he states that love is the greatest of the three.

So much for context.  Now for the word that is translated “resentful” in verse 5.  The Greek word is logizomai.  This word is an ancient accounting word.  It speaks of “keeping a record.”

So, one of the things that love does not do is keeping records.

Now, let me be frank here.  I’m not good at keeping records, at least not on most things.  The other day, someone asked me how many weddings I had performed over my twenty-nine years as a pastor.  I had no idea how many I had done.  (This lack of good book-keeping skills is why my wife is our chief financial officer.)

However, there is one area in which I am a really good accountant—keeping a record of those who have wronged me.  Some of my entries are in bold print with an asterisk beside them.  I even keep records on the times I’ve sabotaged myself.  As if it isn’t enough to resent other people, I have to keep resentment records on myself!  (My record keeping for times when I’ve wronged others is also good, but not as meticulous as my accounting in the other direction.)

I can still remember classmates from my grade school who did me wrong.  Teachers, too.  Employers, church people—the list goes on and on.

And, of course, there is my wife.  I keep really good records on her.  Admittedly, she doesn’t always remember things precisely the way I do, which means she is wrong.  My records are impeccable.

Right.

Perhaps it’s time to retire from the accounting business.  Perhaps I should never have become an accountant in the first place.

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