"Are Your Vents Closed?"

One of the “labels” I have managed to avoid getting stuck with in my life is “Mr Excitement”. As a matter of fact I was once told if I ever slipped into a comma it would take three days before any one realized it. I remember when I used to have my study in the house my kids would watch me at my desk and one day I heard one ask the other “is he dead?” I guess I need to blink more often. I’m sure I have labels sticking to me that people have been gracious enough not to tell me about, but “the life of the party” isn’t one of them. Obviously these are not virtues just personality traits. There are some wonderful people who really are the “the life of the party” and if I ever have a party I’m going to make sure they are invited.

I’m not one who wears my heart on my sleeve. I do get excited about things and I do get upset about things but it’s not real close to the surface. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes it isn’t. I’ve been told I need to just let go, let it out, don’t keep everything bottled up in side. I think they call it venting.

I remember sitting at a stop light once and the light turned green and the guy in front of me just sat there. I’m a patient person so I sat there for a few seconds and then I did it, I vented, I laid on the horn and yes it felt good. Unfortunately what I didn’t see, until it was to late, was the lady with her baby stroller crossing in front of the car in front of me. That good feeling didn’t last very long. It might have lasted longer if I have been alone in the car, but I wasn’t. When the lady had crossed, the guy in the car in front gave me the obligatory hand salute and took off not amused with this “hot-head” behind him. I quietly went back into my comma where it’s safe and waited for the next green light.

No matter what your personality is the book of Proverbs has some good advice about venting.
Proverbs 29:11 “A fool vents all his feelings, (honk,honk) but a wise man holds them back.”
Venting our feelings is linked to foolishness. Why?

Let me give us a few things to think about that might help us see the virtue in not venting all our feelings.

Venting implies everything you feel should be expressed or acted on.
Venting implies that you are more important than those people you hurt by your venting.
Venting implies you have all the facts, but you may not. So hold back.
Venting implies your feelings are always right.
Venting implies that feelings are the most important thing in our life.

Proverbs 21:23 Proverbs 22:24 Proverbs 20:3 Proverbs 18:13 Proverbs 19:11 Proverbs 10:19 Proverbs 12:16 Proverbs 14:29

If you have built up anger or resentment in your heart venting will not get rid of it. Venting just infects everyone one else with it. If you are angry take it to the Lord. He needs to work on your heart. Many a Psalm begins with what appears to be David venting to his God. “How Long? O Lord, How Long” Psalm 13:1 But it ends in victory. Psalm 13:5-6

So before you lay on the horn, or overreact because someone made you wait, or you have heard about a situation that stirs up strong feelings. Be wise and hold back. I can’t think of a time when I regretted not honking my horn at the guy in front of me. I have far more regrets about things said rather than left unsaid. How about you? Many an unwise outburst has been averted because wisdom said hold back, wait there may be more to this we don’t yet know. Yes, our feelings scream "we know, we know let’s let em have it". But wisdom says no.

May we choose the way of wisdom today in our family, marriage, friendships and with our children and not vent all our feelings but hold them back. May we be guided and guarded by the principles of God’s Word and be empowered by the Spirit of God instead of our personality traits or feelings. Our feelings can lie to us, but God's Word never will.

Are your vents closed? Honk, Honk!