As we’ve been diving into emotions and what it is about them that make us twitch, the question has to be asked, “What emotions do I show and how do I deal with them?” It can be tempting to just shove down the emotions we see as “bad” (or maybe even all of them just to be safe), but that’s not what God wants us to do. Why would God, who wants us to live a joyful and good life, tell us to just squash all of our emotions that He made us with? He wouldn’t!

Holding on to our emotions hurts us, and sometimes even physically. Ever had one of those deep seeded emotions where you can feel the effects on your body? You get so sad you body hurts, so angry you go red and get hot, or so excited you get a happy buzz? Emotions are part of who we are, and trying to hold them in doesn’t help anyone. There is a right way to let our emotions show, of course. We might not always get it right, but dealing with them is always better than stifling them. It might mean we take a breath when we feel angry, and let it out behind closed doors. Or, it might mean we need to confront someone. Whatever the case, letting our feelings show can be beneficial if done correctly.

We’ve all done things out of our emotions that we’re probably not proud of. I remember a time back when I was probably 12 or so and my 8 year old brother kept pestering me. I ended up letting my anger get the best of me. I ended up picking him up, spinning him in the air, and then slamming him down face first onto the floor. I ended up breaking his nose, and my parents made me go with them to the ER to explain to the doctors what had happened. I was young, and I probably wouldn’t do the same thing now, but it’s still an example of how letting my emotions dictate what I did and someone else paid for it.

Our emotions are powerful and often feel like they’re going to tear us apart. The unfortunate part is when we do act out of our emotions, it’s usually someone else who ends up paying for it. The Bible tells us in many different places and ways to love others, and to love them in a way that we would want to be loved. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I would prefer not to be picked up and dropped onto my face! So how can we take what God has told us to do and apply it to our emotions?

The easiest and most obvious answer is to make sure we slow down long enough to think about what it is that we’re feeling. Just like what the purpose of the “emotion journal” was. We live such  crazy and busy lives that we don’t slow down to give ourselves time to process our emotions and what it is that is causing us to feel that way! God doesn’t want us to live grey lives without emotions, or to act like animals and let our emotions run us. He gave us emotions to help us understand ourselves and what’s going on around us. We should use them how He intended us to, to build connections and use them to grow closer to Him!

Questions:

1. Read Proverbs 15:13-15. What do you take away from this in regards to your emotions?
2. Read Ephesians 4:25-27. What does this tell us about our emotions and how we should interact with each other when dealing with our emotions?

Weekly Challenge:

Over the next several days, when you feel a strong emotion try to do the following:

1. Stop – Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
2. Count – Give yourself a moment before reacting by counting to 10.
3. Ask – What would be the best way to handle this?
4. Respond – Choose to act in a way that reflects wisdom, kindness, and self-control.
5. Journal – Write down what happened, what you felt, and if this process worked!

You may not have this every day, but there should be at least a few times where an emotion feels like it’s going to almost “take us over.” Let us know if you need any help with this in the meantime!