Before We Snap

Before I chicken out let me just dive into this topic. Snapping. I thought of this before I heard about the school shooting, so please don’t think I’m being insensitive. Let me give you the timeline. Early in the year someone complained to me about not feeling supported. Duly noted. I was hurt initially, but over time I became angry. Not just angry but ANGRY. Last week as I made financial sacrifices to support what my friends were doing, I was grateful to be able to support them but then reflected on what happened earlier. As I drove to a dance class on Thursday night I was close to snapping. In my mind I questioned do grown adults really call out people who don’t do what they expect them to do? Better yet, am I to be questioned about what I do with my time and my money? Breathe, Angie, breathe. And then it hit me. THIS is how some people snap. They take an emotional beating from someone initially. Perhaps they said something to the offender at first, perhaps not. Maybe they tried to let the offense go, but the offense festers until it boils over. How do we deal with this without really losing our grip? I don’t have any answers. I wrote a blog weeks ago (that I didn’t post yet) about me avoiding a temper tantrum only to have one days later. Needless to say this anger thing is close to me because it is me. If you can relate to this, I’m with you in this struggle. Trying to represent God and walk in love with people yet trying not to be bullied or stepped on. Wanting to take a stand but wanting to do it in a godly way. The best I can say on this is to follow the example of Jesus. Jesus loved people but spoke against heart issues. If a person was cruel or unjust, He addressed what they did. A better example is that He prayed for the people who physically abused Him on the way to the cross and while He hung on the cross. People tearing into His skin yet He didn’t lash out. He didn’t snap. I know. This is a hard one.