A Safe Place...

(Yay, a bonus blog!! I just have a lot on my mind today, I guess... )

See if you can guess my riddle:

When you install a new stove/oven, what do you have to have?

When you light a fire in the fireplace, what is the one thing you must be sure you have for the fire to burn adequately?

Where does dryer exhaust need to go?

My mom once had a pressure cooker. She used to make this delicious Burgundy Beef (one of the few times alcohol was allowed in my restrictive Baptist home...I was VERY impressed as a child! LOL!).

I was fascinated and fearful at the same time.

The cooker had this little wobbly thing on the top that let steam escape. Without it, my mom said it would explode, becoming a danger, even a deadly weapon. I would watch it from a distance, praying God wouldn't let the wobbly thing fall off or get clogged up.

So, the answer to my riddle?

They all need a place to VENT.

Now, if inanimate objects need safe places to vent, HELLO!!! So do we.

I discussed this a little bit last night with a dear friend. We all struggle with the need to vent, to share our burdens, as opposed to not wanting to gossip, as opposed to not wanting to give people a reason to back stab us, as opposed to not wanting people to judge us, etc.

I believe that if we don't find a safe place to let off steam, we will be like my mom's pressure cooker-- we'll explode, becoming a danger to others.

Of course, the safest place to do this is with God. We have got to be honest in our prayers. If we truly believe He is the God we say He is, He can handle anything we throw at Him. And He already knows it anyway. So if your prayer life isn't honest, well, that's a problem that needs correcting quickly.

Beth Moore, my hero, says this: "If we tattle to Daddy-God, we won't be as likely to tattle to sister so and so." And she's totally right.

Sometimes, though, I need that reassuring hug, that look of understanding, that shoulder to cry on. I'm sure you do as well.

So, what does a Godly Christian woman do?

A few suggestions, in my humble opinion:

1) First and foremost, are you talking to God about it all? It does no good to talk to someone about your struggles and burdens if you're not talking to Him.

Once you've found someone to confide in, or vent with:

2) What does she say about other people? Chances are, if she talks about others and their struggles, she'll talk about yours as well.

3) Has she walked the same path you are walking? Then you may find a compassionate ear here...just take what she shares to the Scriptures.

4) Test the waters. Don't dive in head first before you know what's under the surface. Share a little before you share a lot.

5) Don't unburden with just one person all the time. You might be tempted to see them as your rescuer, and ignore your True Deliverer...

6) What's the purpose in your venting? Is it to harm or to heal? If you just want to "spill your guts", you might want to rethink it and take it to God only. But if you need help sorting the truth from the fiction, or the problem from the solution...two heads can be better than one.

7) Make sure you're still connected to the Vine, and then trust your heart. If you feel uncomfortable sharing, ask yourself why. Sometimes it isn't appropriate, and sometimes we don't want to be "exposed"...check your spirit, and proceed from there.

Most of all, we have to, as a body of believers, as the church of the Living God, get to the point where we can listen, bear one another's burdens, and pray for those overtaken in sin...because that's what we're TOLD to do in Scripture...and to [those] who know to do right and do it not, it is sin....."

Be blessed and trust in Him, and ask who He wants you to bless today...

Deena