"Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God" (Job 16:19-20, nlt).

A Daily Encounter reader who has been hurt deeply asks, "Do you have any insight into dealing with the strong emotions that arise from being deeply hurt and wounded?

Dear Fred (not his real name), one way you can help "drain the pain" of hurt feelings is to write out your feelings. David did this in several of his Psalms. I think he was a man after God's own heart because of his being open and honest with himself and with God. When you write, write as if you are writing a letter to the one who hurt you. Express all your feelings in all their intensity to this person. Then read the letter to God telling him that this is exactly the way you feel (he knows it anyhow);then tear up the letter and destroy it. Write again and again
doing the same thing until all your hurt and angry feelings are dissipated. But never, never, never send one of these letters to anybody. At a later time, should you feel a need to write or contact the person in question, remember always to write and speak the truth in love;never in anger.
God also gave us tears to help drain the pain of hurt feelings. So give yourself permission to weep with all your heart for until we have learned to weep with all our heart, we are not free to love with all our heart either. Tears, however, are for expressing grief ... not anger. Anger needs to be expressed in writing, verbalized, or both.

Also, everyone needs at least one person he/she can trust implicitly with whom to share his/her feelings. It needs to be an understanding and caring person who listens and accepts us with all our hurt and angry feelings but won't give us advice, preach at us, or tell us what we should or shouldn't do or feel. And, if necessary, have several sessions with a qualified Christian counselor to help you
work through and resolve your feelings.

And of course be sure to tell God exactly how you feel and to lead you to the help you need to resolve your hurt and angry feelings so you can get to a point of genuine
forgiveness. Failing to forgive will only hurt you. It's "like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."