The Rubber Band Lesson
As a child, I would spend days upon days listening to my parents yell at each other. My mom’s words were often slurred because she would begin drinking first thing in the morning. I didn’t know why – I was only a child and never thought to ask.
One night I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had listened to her yell such cruel things – over and over – until my rubber band finally snapped. I loved my dad so much and couldn’t stand to see him be hurt. I jumped off of my bed and made my way down the hallway where my parents stood. I yelled and cried – trying my best to get her to stop.
I will never forget the anger in my mom’s eyes as she began hitting my dad. I squeezed in between them and pushed her back – begging her to stop. Because she was so intoxicated, she lost her balance and ended up breaking a rib.
Needless to say, I was horrified.
I blamed myself for years and never again left my room when they fought. That’s when I learned that life was so much easier when you didn’t allow yourself to feel anything.
That’s a horrible memory I’ll have for the rest of my life, but I guess it was a good lesson.
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27
I learned that emotions can certainly be our enemy. Think how easy it is to jump to conclusions, jump on the bandwagon with other people who are judging others, or do something so out of character, all because of what you are feeling at the time.
I’m not proud to share this story, but I hope it will be helpful to someone, somewhere.
Pray. Talk to God. Ask Him for help.
Don’t ignore your feelings.
Ask yourself why you’re feeling the way you do. When we feel pain, it’s God’s way of telling us that something is wrong. Talk to someone about those feelings before you do or say something you’ll regret.
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