We as humans seem to love to tell our story, especially when we feel as though we’ve been wronged. Often times people will claim that they’re just venting, but there is a marked difference between “Venting” & “Replaying”.
Venting involves releasing and relieving the pressure of a given situation. It is part of the process of letting go of the hurt, frustration and bitterness. If this is our intent, we will generally seek someone who will push us in a positive direction
Replaying is simply recounting the story for anyone who will listen and often entails revisiting / reliving the trauma of the experience. In such instances, we will normally look for someone to agree with us, feel sorry for us and help us to feel justified in our anger and/or hurt.
One pushes us to get past the difficult moment, while the other helps us to remain stuck in that moment. (Jer.17.9)
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