"I Just Had to Vent!"

"I just had to vent!"

How many times have you heard this? How many times have you read it online - especially on social media? That phrase set me thinking this winter... is this behavior biblical? When we are frustrated, when and where is it right to vent?

I ran across an example of venting frustrations in front of your friends in God's word, and it is not a pretty picture. 

"'Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion.'... For I am full of words; the spirit withing me constrains me. Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent; ... I must speak, that I may find relief..." (from Job 32)

A couple biblical examples of venting (even when only in front of your spouse) also come to mind. Job's wife. David's wife Michal.

My own experience confirms that when I vent even just to a family member, it usually causes more harm than good and spreads wrong feelings and incorrect thinking even farther.

As Proverbs 17:9 warns: "Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends."

So does the Bible have positive examples of venting? Does it have directions as to the proper way?

How about the Psalms? There we see dozens of samples of men in dire straights and deep angst spilling their guts... but to whom? To God! 

As it says in I Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on [God] because He cares for you."

The beautiful thing about venting to God rather than people is that He can handle it. Nothing surprises Him. But then He can also lovingly defuse the fire in our hearts and clear the scales from our vision, bringing us around to a fresh knowledge of the truth. Even when we don't always see the source of our turmoil cleared up, if we get our eyes on God, all the rest can retreat to its proper place. 

For example, see the progression in Psalm 73. Verses 1-3 are focused on "I" while verses 4-15 fixate on "THEY." As a result the author, Asaph, is an unhappy mess. But when the focus shifts to "YOU" [God] for the remainder of the chapter, there is finally hope.

Maybe someone would argue that the Psalms give them license to vent in public if they just tack on a spiritual twist at the end. While I had that in mind, a Bible study on the Psalms which I started this year pointed out the fact that: "Something we will discover throughout the Psalms is that David is always careful not to name his enemies..." But I am afraid that much online venting nowadays which manages to avoid names is still so obvious to many people closest to the issues that it could do more harm than good.

To simplify all of the above: I wonder... how often does online venting (or even in person to friends or family) really lead us closer to God? Does it lead those who read and hear us closer to God?

If we are children of God, let's be careful about picking up the world's methods and buzz-words without first seeing how they look in light of God's word. 

.............

Now, I wonder what "beams" in my eye God will have to expose that aren't as easy for me to spot as this "speck" in others' eyes.