Recently, I was feeling very angry about a situation that had happened.
As my husband and I stood in the kitchen talking about it, I felt this ugly anger crawl up through my toes and into my gut and threaten to shoot out my ears…
Before I knew what I was doing, I had grabbed my broom and started attacking the cobwebs in all the corners of my kitchen.
I couldn’t help it!
I learned it from my mama.
She always said, “If you’re feeling angry about something…put that energy to good use. Don’t just sit there wasting time and fuming about what you’re mad about. Go clean something!“
Thus the broom.
Those cobwebs didn’t stand a chance.
And I began to feel better, having put that energy toward something productive.
Instead of taking my anger out on my husband (who had nothing to do with the situation) or my kids (who had nothing to do with the situation) or continuing to dwell on the situation (which would have helped NOTHING)…
I got to work.
And I prayed while I whacked the cobwebs, for God to soften my heart and help me to deal with my anger in a way that would honor him.
God always wins when you give it to him.
Because Satan…(and the cobwebs)… are not welcome in our homes as we continually work to make our homes a haven.
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Tina Russell
Hehe! I can just see you “killing” those cobwebs. ;) I love your idea. :)
can you say something to me to make me furious?
I need to clean up my living room floor. :)
I love it, I do this too… when I am upset I just tackled a project… usually it is the garage, or scrubbing walls.
Thanks for being real!
I did this the other night. My problem was I tried to wash dishes and clean my kitchen… NOT the best task for working out your anger, at least not if you want to keep your plates and glasses in tact. Thankfully I didn’t break anything, but I realized quickly that I should re-arrange what I was doing, and SCRUB some pots before I could continue with the plates and glasses.
:-)
Thanks for the post – I like the quote from your Mama. I’m going to borrow it to teach to my children. The boys “fight” and “retaliate” so much these days, if I start telling them to clean something instead, how sparkly will our house be!?
It’s funny how so many of us do this. I think the good Lord puts this in our soul. It gives us a good chance to think about the problem and calm down. My hubby was always worried about getting me mad when I was pg. He usually was the one to get me upset. Did you ever notice alot of things do get done.
I also clean when I am angry or upset. But I had never thought about trying to jump into it before hurtful words are said. Great advice.
Good idea — and so well written.
Praise God for the ideas we know from our mothers.
Some good comments too.
Great post. I really need to remember this.
I love your heart in this post. How honest and vulnerable. Thank you.