Managing your Emotions

I have often heard it said that women are more emotional than men and children are just one big ball of emotion. Some people are quite expressive and open with their emotions while others are harder to read than a closed book!  Emotional or not, two things are certain—one, we all have feelings and two, feelings change.  If we live by our feelings alone we will be as unpredictable as the weather—bright and sunny one day, foggy and gloomy the next, and cold and stormy for the rest of the week.  Believe me I know!  Menopause is well underway in my life, and my feelings are all over the place.  I love a good rollercoaster ride, but riding the emotional rollercoaster is no fun at all!  My biggest question is how do I get off this ride?

I have found it is possible to make gods out of our feelings and bow down to them as surely as the children of Israel served the idols of the nations around them.  Romans 6:16 puts forth this question, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey….?”  When we allow our feelings to rule us, we are yielding to them; in doing so, we become servants to them.  Our feelings become the graven images that we worship and serve. That is idolatry!  How many times have you wondered how the children of Israel could serve gods that they made from their gold?  Yet, we worship gods that we create from our feelings all the time.  We bow down to idols like unforgiveness, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, bitterness, fear, evil speaking, hatred, strife, envy, jealousy, and pride all because of how we feel.  Like the children of Israel, when we choose the path of idolatry we alienate ourselves from God and hasten our own demise.

So, what are we supposed to do with our feelings?  Stuff them down and pretend they’re not there?  We can try that, but it doesn’t work because they are there, very real, and quite volatile under pressure.  The best way to deal with feelings is to acknowledge them.  By honestly expressing our feelings to God and committing them to Him, we receive the ability to govern ourselves by God’s Word and not solely by how we feel.  We have to make a decision not to be ruled by our feelings.  The power to do that comes from following the same command that Joshua gave to the children of Israel: “…choose you this day whom ye will serve….” (Joshua 24:15)  The Bible tells us that we cannot serve two masters.  We must choose one.  If we elect to serve God, our feelings will not rule us.  They’ll be there, but they will not be in control.  Emotions are very powerful.  They definitely want to take the reins, but God is all-powerful and reigns forevermore!

When we make a decision to surrender to God’s way He helps us move our feelings out of the way so we can completely obey and be blessed.  Are you ready to get off the emotional rollercoaster?  You can, if you want to.  Yes, your feelings will still hit highs and lows; there will still be many twists and turns, but you won’t be strapped in for the ride screaming for dear life.  You can see your feelings for what they are and choose to live beyond them.  How do I know?  The Bible tells me so:  Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”

From my heart to yours,

Kathy