It has been a crazy couple of weeks! There have been ample opportunities to take things into my own hands, to live by what I see and feel, and to take back control of my life. But the opportunities for thanksgiving, for trusting God, and for living by faith have been far greater! The perspective on life that anyone takes is a choice and determines the outcome of their life.Glass half full kind of people are the optimistic ones, those who try to see the good in any circumstance. Then the glass half empty folks drole on in life without hope. Even the optimists have to agree that some circumstances just don’t have any good in them. That is the third, the factual or realist side of the coin.
What none of these perspectives take into account is the truth. The truth is never based on what you’re looking at. The truth doesn’t have sides. The truth is whole and complete and sourced in God. For Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 So in any situation you can see the truth, that God is good and faithful and circumstance doesn’t dictate his character and believe that, (if you so choose).
One of the elements that can cause challenges in choosing a positive, truth filled perspective is emotions. Busy lives always come with ups and downs and emotions can create some unnecessary ones! Expressing emotions in a healthy way is definitely not a strong suite for me. It honestly just started becoming a thing at all in my life. The whole ‘expressing emotions’ thing just seemed way overrated. Anytime I ever experienced friends and family expressing them, it didn’t end up positive. So I decided a long time ago that I just wouldn’t have them. That’s not best. What convinced me that I needed to have them was the revelation that God has them. If it’s something God has, then I want it. It was also made obvious when I got into a relationship. Having a significant other requires the expression of emotion, both the positive and the challenges. I’m not a fan. Just being honest.
I am totally a fan of my fiance and sharing my life with him, but learning this whole not living by feelings but having them is a struggle. I’m sure there will be people reading this thinking I am a crazy person. That’s okay, maybe I am. I just want to highlight that we are taught as Christians to live by what we know, not by what we feel. So I hope you can see the perspective I have been operating for many years in of just not feeling. It is so much easier to make rational decisions. I thought I was simplifying life when really I was making it that much harder to be healthy.
Healthy living is understanding your parts and functioning in each area based on godly principles in his word. His basic principles are love him, love people, be like Jesus. Loving Him means loving people (1 John 4) and one facet of Jesus was his emotions. I.e. “Jesus wept.” John 11:35 Jesus was sad about his friend dying. Even though he knew Lazarus was sick and that we was to wait until he died to come to the place where he was and then glorify the Father by raising him from the dead, Jesus was still sad that he died (John 11).
There will be circumstances in life that invoke emotions, both positive and negative and it’s okay to express both. Jesus did! The important part to exercise self-control; in expressing your emotions so that your emotions don’t control you.
REMINDER: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Prov. 17:22
The W.O.R.D. 