Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2 HCSB)
Many times I’ve compared myself to a duck on a pond. While the duck appears to be resting peacefully and comfortably above the water surface, beneath it paddles frantically to keep afloat.
On the outside, I seem calm and collected, keeping the plastered smile on my face. While on the inside my heart is pounding anxiously, with my palms sweating and my emotions running around in a maze.
When I am emotionally drained, I also find myself physically drained as well. It takes a toll on the mind and body. My head pounds from tension headaches and the grip is like a vice pressing tighter and tighter. My shoulders and neck tense up and ache. I debate would it help to release it all with a good cry or soak my head in sink full of ice water?
We have all days like that. Our emotions can get the better of us.
We sit in the conference room; listening to the same agenda we heard at the last staff meeting. The company is under stress and more cut backs are expected. Yes, there will be adjustments adding to the workload. Yes, we hear the same speech of depleting funds stripping the resources needed to do a job well. Inside, we are boiling. Inside our head is pulsing from the migraine the keeps reoccurring. Unable to concentrate, we begin watching the clock, hoping the workday will quickly pass. We don’t voice our opinion because, after all we do need the job.
Once again, your rebellious teen has disobeyed. The house rules have been stated time and time again, but he doesn’t seem to adhere. His attitude and body language conveys his distance and disrespect. Your disappointment is hard to hide, but even more your heart is broken because you know that your son knows better. You didn’t raise him to be so disrespectful. You try to remember the days before he began talking back and disobeying. You stand your ground, but on the inside your heart bleeds.
A friend, a person you thought you could always count on lets you down. This hasn’t been the first time. It’s become a pattern. You begin to consider the expense of this friendship. You make excuses for her behavior. The trust has been broken so many times. The pain is too much to continue putting up with the unsolicited antics. You are constantly feeling empty or hurt. Her words sting every time she says something unsuitable. Her ideas have changed so much you wonder about any hope of recovering any thing cordial you may have once shared?
We mask our emotions, leaving us drained from energy and lonely. We pretend we are happy when we are not, keeping that plastered smile on our face, hiding our true feeling, while we wonder, ‘does anyone really see my pain?”
I’ve have been that duck on the pond. Sitting quietly, seemingly relaxed on the surface, while beneath, I am paddling frantically to keep all appearances still and calm.
Many examples from the bible tell us there has been many that have experienced that sudden emotion, not knowing exactly what to do at first. Once they sought God, their thoughts changed. God brought them peace.
Daniel must have been filled with fear when he was first thrown into that den of lions. He mind must have been racing, wondering about becoming dinner for the untamed beasts.
Noah probably scratched his head, perplexed with thought, feeling overwhelmed with the idea of building an Ark. He may have lost a few nights sleep, thinking this job is way to big for me.
Mary must felt so anxious when she found out she was pregnant, unwed and having to face her family with such news. Yet her emotions turned joyful when she realized she would be giving birth to the Savior of the World.
And Jesus, as his body was stretched across those wooden planks, beaten and his body shedding blood. Did he feel alone and broken, knowing he was about to give up his life to safe us from sin?
Emotions.
We are overjoyed finding out that our first-born will soon make us a grandparent. We are proud watching our daughter walk across the stage to receive that well deserved diploma. We can hardly contain ourselves, when we find out our body is cancer free. It certainly gives us feeling of contentment when we look across the room and see our spouse that has shared the past 20 years with us, being steadfast and true.
God gave us emotions. They can be good or dreadful. Managing our emotions in a healthy way comes with maturity. If we don’t learn to manage they can and will drain us when unexpected or dreaded situations arise. We will be left feeling exhausted and powerless.
When we learn to surrender ourselves, our emotions to God, we develop a certain freedom. We are freeing ourselves from the drowning, overwhelming feelings that some emotions can take from us.
As I paddle through life, I’m learning to match the underneath waters with what appears on the surface of the pond. On the outside I am calm. On the inside, I am learning how to be calm. I am experiencing the joy when God surprises me with an unexpected blessing.
On the days when I’m not prepared for the unexpected, prayer calms my spirit. Releasing my anxieties brings a certain peace, reminding me to quiet down and be still.
To adjust how we feel we must adjust how we think. If we think of God first before we allow our emotions to take over, God will set the tone. He will bring us through the valleys and rejoice with us in the victories. Both can be rewarding.
