God gave us our emotions. They
are not a fault, a weakness, or an abnormality. They are healthy and important
to us all. Our emotions usually come from our thoughts. Some people bury their
emotions and lose touch with this vital part of our self.
Therefore, we are wise to
consider our thoughts and emotions throughout the day. We can feel them, find
the source of them, and pray about what to do about them. God helps us not to
react in negative emotions, gives us wisdom to find the root source of our
feelings, and helps us to resolve any issues that need solving.
Impulsive reactions to our
thoughts and emotions may wound our self, our loved ones, or irritate those in
authority over us. Rather than to react with a negative emotion, we wisely
think about how we are feeling, discover the source, and seek God's purpose
through them.
We may be neglecting our self in
some area, responding from past trauma through them, or hiding behind them in
order to protect our self from future abuse. Then, we over-react, attempt to
control the situation, and/or build walls around our responses and continue to
neglect our own needs.
When confronted with a decision
or asked for our opinion, especially if we feel negative emotions rise up in
our soul, we do not have to respond instantly. We can say that we are going to
pray about our answer before we give it.
This gives us time to journal our
feelings and thoughts, chat with our mentor, and consult the Lord for His
direction (Proverbs 3:5-6) in order to respond in His peace rather than with our
negative emotions. We can pray about how we feel, and ask God to show us the
reason that we automatically responded that way.
When we return to the
conversation, we are able to calmly express how we think, as well as how we
feel, and then to express what we believe is God's direction for us in this
circumstance. If this disagrees with what the other person feels that God is
directing him/her to do, we can pray together about a third alternative
agreeable to both of us.
Prayer:
Father God, give us responses to
express in love with other individuals with whom we are interacting. We want to
respond, rather than to react, so that we can foster good will toward one
another rather than to hurt each other's feelings. Help us to stay calm, even
when we feel nothing but turmoil within.
Remind us that this will enable
us to kindly express the thoughts stirring up our negative emotions and to work
together to find that third alternative in which we both feel Your peace. Teach
us how to show respect for each other's humanity, and to consider one another's
needs. We want to walk in Your will for us and to glorify You in everything
that we think, say and do.
Thought for the Day:
We can avoid compulsive behavior
reactions, and our penchant to spew destructive words and actions by giving our
self time to individually pray about our thoughts and feelings, and then to
pray together about God's solution and resolution to the issues that we face.
