Would you allow your child into a cage with a lion?

I recently heard the story of a rock star who brought home a cute little lion cub to raise on his ranch in Tennessee. For several years his "tame" lion was quite a hit with his house guests. It never acted like a dangerous predator, only like a big, playful pet. Then one day without warning, a parent's worst nightmare became this man's reality. The lion broke out of his cage and brutally mauled the little boy before running off into the woods.

I'm sure this man loved his son, but by allowing a predator into his home, the man was setting the stage for a potential tragedy.

I can't think of a single person who would willingly expose a child or spouse to the fury of a full-grown lion, but I know of many husbands and wives who are letting another deadly killer walk right through their front door without a fight—unhealthy, unresolved anger.

Anger can rip the heart right out of a relationship. Without exaggeration, every hour that anger is allowed to stay in a person's life, it acts like an emotional time bomb ticking down to detonation.

Like that rock star's lion, unchecked, unresolved anger inside a person can destroy your most treasured relationships.

© Copyright 2005 Smalley Relationship Center

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