Emotions

       This past week has been rough (Yes I know it is a Tuesday, I mean by the last 7 or so days).  I have had to learn to forgive, and to not let pain and fear dictate me.  I also started school, which has me now doing crazy amounts of schoolwork and I have a job interview tomorrow for a part time tutor job.  Needless to say, I haven't had time to write.  However, I wrote this a few weeks ago knowing that this day was coming, and honestly it fits my situation so well, that it is probably what I would've written if it hadn't been already.  So here you go :)



Small disclaimer:  Most of this information is from godly counsel I received.  I know everyone has their own opinion, but I do have to agree with what I was told.
        
            As a teenager, my emotions seem to be all over the place.  Add some post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and insecurity, and you have a roller-coaster ride that I would honestly much rather not be on. 
            There have been a couple times though, where I have had to get godly counsel on my emotions.  When it comes to things like that I go to my young adult pastor’s wife, Anna.  Now Anna is a very godly woman, she leads the worship team, and I strive to be more like her daily.  She is a woman who would be described as loving and merciful.  However, she is also someone who will call you out when you are doing something that affects your relationship with God.  She just knows how to do it the right way.  These are some of the things she has told me.
            “Emotions are a gift from God, but they were never made to lead you.” 
She told me this when I started letting fear control some of my decision making.
            “When it comes down to it, we never have a reason to be angry at God.” 
Now in my situation, you couldn’t even look at my anger as justifiable in the slightest, but she has a point.  He may have allowed a situation to come into your life, but he is not trying to hurt you.
            “We need to filter our emotions through truth.  Ask, why do I feel this way, and what does God say about this.” 
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but all negative emotions can be brought through a filter.  Pain is something we will feel in life, but anger, bitterness, hatred, jealousy, depression, and anxiety are things we can fight with scripture. 
            “Get the focus off of you, and onto serving others.” 
I know none of us want to be accused of being selfish, but sometimes the way we are feeling is because we are spending so much time on us, that we forget to look at the big picture.  When we take on a heart of service, our eyes turn to the Lord.  When we focus on us we start getting negative emotions that are not from God.  He wants us to live in joy and peace, but we cannot do that if we are only focused on ourselves.
           

I try and take this advice from Anna, and apply it to my everyday life.  However, I am not even close to mastering this.  I get anxious easily, and I look at my situation, and although I believe without a doubt God will use this for good, I sometimes get overwhelmed by the pain of it all.  However, God does not expect perfection from me, or anyone else.  When we experience the lows of life, and experience these other emotions, we are able to feel joy and peace of God even more.  Our goal is to not sin in these emotions.  Not avoid them at all costs. 

            I am reminded of the fruits of the Spirit when emotions are brought up. The fruits are all emotions from God, along with how we should act.  When we take on the fruits we become more godly, and, when we are living in the Spirit, the flesh does not have room to birth evil, and negative emotion.
            Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.