Make a Right Turn

If I wasn’t stuffing my mouth with food, I was “verbally vomiting” out of it!

My former purpose in “venting” wound up revealing itself to me and others as a lack of acceptance and a failure to trust that God is in control. A lack of acceptance indicates discontent and disagreement; a discrepancy between the way people and things are versus how I want them to be. I wanted to release negative emotion and discomfort, and I wanted validation for my pain: compassion, understanding, and comfort.

Venting by itself is not a solution. For me, it leads to a cul-de-sac that I dead-end into, circling around it twenty times before I get worn out. I can drive ten miles or more while being stuck in that cul-de-sac, burning up gas and time while going absolutely nowhere.

I can spare someone else the circle time and pick them up—after I’ve taken a good, honest look at my grievance and resentment—when I work Step Four. I explore my selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, and fearful thoughts and behavior. Effective venting is part of the Step Five process: communicating with someone else my frustration and pain in order to discern my defects and also my capabilities to collaborate on a solution, finding a way out via changing direction. Literally and figuratively, I can make a simple “right” turn.

Ultimately, I cannot change the subject of my discontent any more than I can change the structure of a cul-de-sac, but I can leave behind the dead-end turning of obsession and compulsion. I can make a right turn out of the circling and pull into the road of effectiveness and purpose.

What boundary do I need to make? What action can I take? When I seek God’s right turn guidance, I discover serenity, acceptance, and freedom. You can too. Enjoy the journey!

— Kathy S., Cumming, Georgia USA