The Last Word: When You Figure Out That Your Cats Might Just Have A Better Handle On Life Than You Do

Internal pain isn't always externally visible. However, anger, profanity, and explosive outbursts are signs that someone has hit their maximum of frustration. We can know someone for decades and not have an inkling of their past. The same can be said of us. Sometimes it's easier to hide our hurt than to express and deal with it.

That's why we're blindsided when normally calm person explodes over a small matter. Often, the incident has triggered their internal hurt pocket and what we observe is the outcome of hidden pain. We can't avoid pain or being hurt. So how can we prevent erupting?

We first need to recognize that there have been times we've felt wronged, disrespected or unfortunately abused by others. Those situations are hurtful. Strong feelings about them are natural. And working through those emotions when it's fresh is preferable to stuffing the pain inside and then exploding when it's triggered.

Contrary to what many might believe, God is not the author of pain. The garden God prepared was perfect. Pain came as a consequence to mankind's sin, and now we must address it or live with an internal inferno that can unexpectedly erupt. Mistreatment and pain are littered throughout Scripture.

Murder, theft, sibling rivalry, betrayal, and neglected children-the infractions are too numerous to list. Each story is a personal experience. Some handled it well and many did not. Cain did not. He killed his brother. And Moses, in anger broke the tablet containing the original ten commandments God had given him.

Contrast that with Joseph who forgave his brothers for planning to murder him, then selling him as a slave instead, thus separating him from his father for decades. Joseph pondered these hard places. He saw that God used it to move him to where God would ultimately use Joseph. He processed the pain and decided he could forgive that very deep hurt.

The question is: can we? Will we choose to try? Redefining your hurt is a process in which each of the readings will b