I hold a lot of things in. I’m always making sure everybody is okay. I usually don’t rage; I usually don’t curse. So for me, it’s a great thing to be able to scream and say whatever I want. Beyonce Knowles
Meditation: Yesterday one of my daughters needed to get her rage out. She was in the back of the car expressing some bottled up emotions. At first it felt overwhelming, and usually I try to redirect or stop such rage fits. However, this time I told her: “I hear you. Is there more?” And she had more, and more… A whole year’s worth of anger and rage came out. Some of it she addressed directly to me, which felt very personal and offensive. When we arrived at home, she calmed down some, yet still angry. I repeated back to her what I had heard. She seemed startled at my repeating the personal insults… “This is not what I meant”… We gave each other space to process what had happened. Later she came to apologize. “Being 13 sucks, but I did not mean what I said about you.” I forgave her. The sadness, anger and rage of an usually calm and well-adjusted 13 year old needed to come out.
Prayer: God, you can handle our rage. You are good at holding our emotions. Just as in the book of Iob and in the Psalms you allow us to wail, even accuse You (though we deep inside know You did not do what happened to us) and scream loudly. You are OK with our anger and rage. And we are grateful. Amen
For I cry inside myself in front of my food. My cries pour out like water. What I was afraid of has come upon me. What filled me with fear has happened. I am not at rest, and I am not quiet. I have no rest, but only trouble. Iob 3:24-26
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