Venting

A vent is placed in a building or house for air to circulate. It keeps the house or building from being stuffy - assuming that the vent is open to fresh air. That same circulation can work against in keeping the rooms stuffy if there is smoke or a bad smell in one room or another - it begins to circulate and is in the entire building or house.

The terminology venting came from the world. It is used supposedly for health reasons so not to suppress feelings and issues that need to be let out and dealt with. Holding it in and not letting anyone know what the trouble is causes mental anguish, resentment, tension headaches and a host of other problems that no one would like to deal with. So once done, we are told that we feel better that the burden was discussed, resolved, and lifted off of the shoulders of the one carrying it. It felt so good that why not speak it out every single time an issue arises so mush so that there aren't any issues anymore? Sounds wonderful doesn't it - only even that becomes an issue. Why? Because of the attention that having an issue got. You've met them before. The kind that fabricate, or embellish stuff just to be a part of a conversation.

What is it called when the vented issue is resolved and it still needs to be mentioned? Isn't that complaining?

I thought that instead of venting to others about what bothered me, I could talk it over with Jesus. You know how the song goes, "talk it over with Jesus; tell Him about your troubles..." It did me the world of good when I was finished. I didn't have to say anything to anyone else. God handled it and that settles it. I began talking to the Lord about everything. I got so use to it, I decided I didn't have to go through the formalities of prayer, just having that alone time and letting it rip. Oh, there was so much that people would do that just got on my last nerve... and on and on and on and on. Phew! What a friend we have in Jesus. It just felt soooo good until I realized something. As much as I didn't like to nag to my children - they knew I would give them instruction and expect it to be done. There wasn't any reason to micro-manage. I trained them well, yet here I was sounding more of a nag in my venting to the Lord. What happened to my prayer life?

Well, what was I going to pray about? How such and such irritated and me and give them a clean heart O God? Or should I tell God how someone else needs this, that or the other and bless them Lord so they will stop asking me to pray for them every time they see me? Doesn't God already know these things? So there, I can go back and have my venting sessions. After all, its good for my mental health and there is some Spiritual happenings going on there too - right?

There is this resident in the building where I am employed. Every now and again, she comes to the office and tells me how she doesn't like a certain person in the building. It is over some mundane asinine reason, but I listened to her. Again and again she would tell me as if I didn't hear her the first time. That woman didn't open the door to the building when she was standing right there. Why didn't you have your key, I would ask. And she would say, "I had my key. That's not the point, she was right at the door and wouldn't open it!" Just get over it, I would say to her. I validated her point when she said it to me the first couple of times, but when I asked how long ago was that she said, "years ago." YEARS! I screamed in my mind. I just couldn't hear it anymore. Why come to me and tell me this over and over again? Wouldn't it be better to just forgive and forget it? No she wasn't having any of that. Oddly enough, the other woman with whom she was referring felt the same way. I asked them both to forgive the other or else how can God forgive you? The had no answer when put in that manner.

As time went on, short as it was, one of the women passed on. The other that used to come to the office to complain, found something else to complain about. Something completely arbitrary of her yet with the same intensity as she had with not being let in the front door. I asked her about the woman that passed that she complained about before. Her voice softened and she answered, "well, she wasn't so bad." "She wasn't so bad! SHE WASN'T SO BAD!!! Do you know how many times you complained about her to me much less to anyone else. I asked you to forgive her and you refused. Do you know how much she would have appreciated hearing you say a kind word to her? Why now when she can't hear it? Why say anything nice now?" "Well, she sheepishly began, she wasn't all bad." That's it! She had nothing else to say about the deceased woman. She would have rather complained about a person that says nothing to her and minds her own business.

How patient should I be to hear such foolishness? How long does one tolerate the words of others when you know they are wrong. When is there as much correction as there is foolish words and when does one just walk away leaving the person there to deal with their own mess?

God listened to me. He never left all the time while I went on and on. I had some one to listen to me and not interrupt with all of their issues. He heard everything I said and it felt so good to tell it without it coming back to bite me in the butt. There were no embellishments, there were no vague ambiguity, no nonsensical advice. He listened. Sometimes when things just were too frustrating to put into words, He gave me peace about it and Wisdom to overcome the situation. It was just so nice even with the faintest whisper of my confession or the prayer that I was to continually be in. I just like the talking all the more.

So why would I be frustrated with this woman (2 Corinthians 9:7 AMP)? She was only doing what I was doing to God (Galatians 6:7 KJV). Her issue seemed just as important to her as mine was to me. To God it is all nonsense unless spoken in the Spirit where we aren't using the lusts and affections of the flesh (Galatians 5:24 KJV). We like to hear our own selves talking. Not such a delicious thing to do when we don't understand what we are saying.