Venting

The Need

It happens to all of us. Forced to deal with an uncooperative person. Frustration over a persistent problem. Stress, fatigue, disappointment, etc, they all build up inside of us to the point where we need to say something. But if we’re not careful we end up saying something to the wrong people, or we say the wrong thing, or we say the right thing in the wrong way. Now we have even bigger problems on our hands.

Who to talk to

The Bible is filled with people who reached their boiling point. For most, a primary outlet was God. This was the case for Moses, Jeremiah, Habbakuk, Jonah, and the Psalmist. They took their frustrations and vented them on the Lord. Do we? Or do we stuff them, fearing that somehow God doesn’t want to hear our complaints? Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 4:7 remind us that God is open and available to hear our concerns.

Another outlet

How about a trusted friend? A person you feel so confident in, and so secure around, that you can have a pity party without fear of being judged. Such relationships don’t just occur. They take time to develop, and they must be reciprocal (Prov. 17:17; Eccl 4:9-11). Do you have such a friend in your life? If not, why?