Emotions....can't live with them....can't live without them!

So lately there has been a lot of "mess" going on and I am left to wonder whether I should be feeling "some type of way" about it. I promise, any and everything that could have happened in the past few weeks has, and guess what....I'M STILL STANDING because of the grace of GOD!
While things try to push you to the floor He's right there creating resistance and pushing back in the other direction to make sure you are steady despite the disruption that is trying to distract you.  Whether its work, school, finances, home, car, personal life, or some other area of influence in our lives we all have to experience both sides of the coin, the ups and the downs. One minute everything is amazing and next minute we are feeling all "Carl Thomas-ish" (insert the song "emotional" here and press play) about something. The information I'm about to share can be helpful during the downs and help you to keep the wits about yourself either way, all things have to be taken in stride and you all still more blessed than most. In life we have the tendency to have all of the answers during the ups, but the downs usually throw us for a loop. If you are experiencing a down at this very moment then pay close attention, write it down, print it out, mediate on it or do whatever is necessary to hear what I am saying. If you’re having an up and can't relate to this lesson today then bookmark this page for future reference because the "down" is apart of the inevitable human experience. Perfection doesn't build character. Before I begin let me define "spazzing out" for those of you who are new to the term.

Thesaurus.com uses these terms to help us recognize if we are indeed having a moment: agitated, angry, at wits' end, berserk, beside oneself, corybantic, crazy, delirious, deranged, distraught, excited, flipped out, fraught, freaked out, frenetic, frenzied, furious, hectic, hot and bothered, hot under the collar, hyper, in a stew, in a tizzy, insane, keyed up, mad, out of control, overwrought, rabid, raging, raving, shook up, unglued, unscrewed, unzipped, violent, weird, weirded out, wigged out, wild, wired, worked up, zonkers.

While it's cool to have feelings and emotions about a particular person, place, or thing that is attempting to break your peace, it is not so cool to have those same pesky emotions influence your decisions and make you lose your footing. Easier said than done my dear friends, trust me I know. God never said that we wouldn't have trials and tribulations and He definitely never said that you aren't supposed to have feelings; you are human and therefore flawed.  He does say to be slow to anger and use your wisdom in all things. At the end of the day it is not only healthy but necessary to embrace how you feel, doing anything but embracing and exploring these feelings leads to ignoring them, ignoring them leads to a regrettable moment of "black out". Now, it's easy for us to say that we have evolved from a place of "spazzing out", over reacting, being dramatic, or catching cases over some "mess" that is going on in our lives. You and I both now that is NOT true, no matter how saved, sanctified, changed, reformed, grown, and mature you are....you too are susceptible to spazz out at any given moment and time. When the heat gets hot in the kitchen we ALL have the propensity to get hot right along with the rising temperatures. Like a pot, our tempers start to boil over and the next thing we know we have flipped our lid and said or done some things that may not be becoming, you know with our newly conceived character and all ; )

At the end of the day we cannot control people or their actions but the one thing we must control is ourselves!

When things are being thrown at you from every direction do you ever stop to think that maybe that's for a reason? Ummmm....wait-then again, if someone takes a swing at you do you stop to think why they are swinging or do you automatically start to pull out some defense. Ever stop to consider what lesson needs to be taken away from a particular situation so that you can pass the test and move on. Who wants to keep doing this over and over?! Even when you thought you had these lessons down packed there is always going to be a new thing that is sent to test you and push you to the furthest extreme, it is within these moments that character is forged, like gold going through the firing process. None of us like pop quizzes, we like to study and prepare for what is to come, no one likes to be put on the spot, but those are truly the best testing conditions. In that moment you are contemplating how you will proceed, trying to recall past lessons, and thinking of all the things you are going to do next time to avoid getting caught out there again. In that moment you a realizing how important your next move will be and in that moment you may just win your battle. Now again, I emphasize that this is easier said than done and it takes a continuous effort on your part.

With all of that said, I re-introduce to you the old tried and true saying...."Mind over matter". Feeling in control is half of the battle when it comes to your emotions. Our thoughts influence our emotions and our emotions influence our decisions. Ever notice that you could be thinking about something sad and automatically feel sad or think of someone who makes you smile and instantly start to feel all warm inside. No need to answer, I know that these moments have happened to you! I challenge you to start taking that same thought process and using it to influence your mood and your reactions to the things that go on around you. While we can’t control the things that happen around us we CAN start to think about our responses differently. Self control is the key word here.....whether our emotions feel good or bad, we still need to be the voice of reason and show them who's boss. Stop falling victim to your mood and letting your emotions have the run of the house. YOU run the house…and you run it with your thoughts, the most powerful weapon you possess.

1 Peter 1:13
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

2 Peter 1:5-7
"In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone."