Venting Out vs. Nagging Out

As humans, we have this need to vent out and nag. These are ways to empty our emotional bottle. I also think we think too much of ourselves (deliberately or not). In reality, there is someone out there who is suffering far more than we do. I agree when O. Chambers states "[we] tendency is to look for the marvelous in our experience." We put too much of a big deal to what is and just happened to us.

I am blessed and thankful to live in Canada. My parents work hard to give me and my siblings what they did not have growing up in a ghetto part of the Phillipiines. My family may not have the monetary richness that can allow me to buy anything I want, but I never missed a meal and never had to sleep in the streets; but I am guilty of venting and nagging whenever I am with problems. When I get overwhelm and fail to my vices, I search for marvelous reason, why things are happening--makes me feel special and justified. My favorite character in the early BC, King David, was far better in handling troubles and persecutions. According to history, David is a vent-out-kind of a guy. The only difference between his and my venting out, he vents out to God who listens and can do something. That is why his venting moments were compiled into Psalms. Half of his Psalms are about him venting out. Another difference is after he vent out, he fully rely on God. No wonder his venting outs became Psalms and mine did not.

Nagging, on the other hand, leads to bitterness. Nothing happens so we nag, nag, and nag some more. Even after everything gets better we nag just because we experienced it. Nagging is to bother with repeated complains about insignificant matters. Things we complain becomes insignificant because people tend to brush it off. "I've heard that before" is commonly the notion in the response we get. Dictionary defines it as "to verbally abuse".

One character that is well known to nag is Job's wife. She is introduced after Job, one of the richest and greatest men of his time. However to prove Job' s faithfulness to God, both her and Job suffered from attacks of the enemy. She suffered almost as much as Job did. Except for her health, she too lost her children, live stock, and security. However, her response were different from her husband. She (Job 2:9; 19:17; 31:1O) has been called everything from the "adjutant of the devil" to the "faithful attendant upon her husband's misery". Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I myself may succumb into bitterness, and anger if I face the same misfortune. I'm no super woman and far from the expelimentary character of faithfulness and discipline of Job. Fortunately, due to Job's faithfulness, God gave back what they have lost and much more.

When we vent out, we tend to receive empathy. When we nag, we tend to receive a brush off or forced compliance. Which way is better? David was definetly heard and led to overcome his troubles, Job's nagging wife got the leprosy. We need to vent out otherwise we'll explode after being bottled up but be cautious, there's a fine line between venting out and nagging. Lets try not to exaggerate things and be in such misery. Let's live and love life. Give God all the thanksgiving. We don't need to make such a big fuzz about troubles and weaknesses, we all meant to have it and God dealt with it. He won the war! We just need to win the battles, even then God is with us.