“I want to kill you!” The irate teenage boy is screaming into his younger sister’s face, his heart full of rage and his mouth full of threats. I observe with horror the volatile scenario in my own living room, hoping against hope that the words don’t escalate into a physical altercation!
I have mere moments to draw upon all of my parenting experience, to frantically pray for God’s wisdom in this situation, and to decide on the best way to respond. Should I do nothing and just hope that everything dies down on its own? Should I calmly remind him of the proper way to express his anger? Should I thank him for verbalizing how he feels, instead of actually acting on his emotions? Should I demand that he go to his room until he calms down enough to apologize for his outburst? Who is this stranger standing in my living room, and why, oh why, did God think that I could possibly be qualified to be his mother?
And how did this young man become so troubled and full of hate, anyway? What painful experiences has he faced during his short time of earth that would cause him to lash out at those around him? Sometimes I feel like a detective, piecing together the few clues that are available in an effort to understand the whole picture.
