Explosion!

Willa was so upset at her sister Margot. All week long she'd been using Willa's things without asking, and today she had taken one of Willa's best shirts and worn it to school. As she walked into the house, Willa felt like her temper was about to explode. She slammed her backpack down on a kitchen chair, and it tumbled to the floor. Willa let out an exasperated scream."Willa, please sit down and cool off," Mom said. She poured two glasses of lemonade and sat down next to her. "Did I ever tell you about the summer my friend Carolee and I rented a small cottage by the lake for a week?" Mom asked.Willa sniffed. "No, but that sounds like it would be fun."Mom nodded. "It was great--until we decided to bake cookies one day. I opened the oven of the old gas stove while Carolee lit a match. It didn't light right away, but then, all of a sudden…WHOOSH! A bright yellow flash lit up the whole oven.""Were you hurt?" asked Willa, wide-eyed."We both had deep burns." Mom rolled up her sleeve and pointed at a pink scar on her forearm. "We learned later that the oven hadn't been used for a long time, and little by little, dirt had clogged the gas line. When the gas forced its way through, it came with a rush and caused an explosion." Mom sipped her lemonade. "Do you know why I told you this story?"Willa studied her fingernails. "Because my temper exploded?" Mom nodded. "Anger we allow to build up in our lives will eventually cause an explosion. But when we recognize our emotions and surrender them to Jesus, He will help us deal with our anger. He always forgives us when we act out of anger and will help us forgive others."Willa sighed. "But Margot makes me so mad sometimes!""I know. I'm not saying you should never feel upset with anyone, because that's impossible. Just remember that Jesus understands how you feel. He loves you and wants to help you work things out."Willa didn't want her anger to explode again. "Do you think you can help me talk to Margot and fix it?" She looked up and saw a smile on her mom's face. –Nance E. Keyes