“One of the disciplines of a godly woman must be the discipline of the mind. We are not free to let our emotions flip and flop all over the place. We are not free to fret and worry if we feel like it or to indulge ourselves in pouting and stewing. That doesn’t mean that “the blues” aren’t going to happen to us, but we need to lay them before our Lord as David did and put them into God’s hands in completely surrendered faith.”

Excerpt from Beautiful Woman, by Anne ortlund

Dearest Believer, 

I think it would be fair to say most people that know me would describe me as an emotional person (although I  would like to describe it as ‘passionate’☺ !).  But aren’t we all emotional? Emotional just means relating to one’s emotions. A couple of definitions of emotion  are:

a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. Oxford Languages

n. a complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral, and physiological elements, by which an individual attempts to deal with a personally significant matter or event. The specific quality of the emotion (e.g., fear, shame) is determined by the specific significance of the event. For example, if the significance involves threat, fear is likely to be generated; if the significance involves disapproval from another, shame is likely to be generated. Emotion typically involves feeling but differs from feeling in having an overt or implicit engagement with the world. —emotional adj.  APA Dictionary

And if we want to go back further, we find that emotion comes from the Latin root word, emovere, which taken apart is e- out and movere- move. If we look at the definitions above, we see that it is understood as “natural” and dependant on “circumstance”, “mood” or “relationships” and expresses in experiential, behavioral, and physical ways. Basically, feelings moved outward. 

 During the course of my life, my emotions have helped in some ways and have hindered in others. How so? It has largely depended on how much self-control I have and what inspired or provoked the emotional reaction or response. I would go so far as to say that what came forward was directly relational to the place God took in my life. Was He on the throne? Or had I placed something or someone there instead? When God occupies His rightful place, His Spirit is in control and directs and guides us. 

So what does God say in Scripture about all this? 

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And behold, it was very good.

Genesis 1:27, 31b

Firstly, we are made in His image. He made us as thinking, reasoning, relational and emotional beings- like He himself is. AND it was very good. We are the pinnacle of his creation because we are to reflect who He is.  God has and expresses emotion in Scripture, so we know that emotions are good and they are a gift of God to us. 

However, because of the Fall of man, we know sin has come and distorted the use and expressions of this gift. 

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  Romans 8:5- 6

Because of this, we must not allow our God-given emotions to take the place of God’s Spirit, but make them subject to God to allow their use to be fruitful, beneficial, and good. God-honoring use of our emotions must apply a balance of propriety/discernment,  self-control, and compassion

• PROPRIETY/DISCERNMENT

For everything, there is a season…A time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, a time to dance. Ecc. 3:4

A discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. Prov. 15:14

• SELF-CONTROL

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. Prov. 29:11

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.  Gal. 5:22

• COMPASSION

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Rom. 12:15

Jesus wept. John 11:35

This makes harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 1 Cor. 12:25-26

Dear believer, as you consider the way you express and manage your emotions, remember that it is truly about priorities. God commands us to put Him first and others second. When we daily pick up our cross, we are surrendering ALL things to His guidance and His will in our lives.  This, of course, includes our feelings. 

Many falsely suppose that the feelings, which God has implanted in us as natural, proceed only from a defect. Accordingly, the perfecting of believers does not depend on their casting off all feelings, but on their yielding to them and controlling them, only for proper reason.

John Calvin

May we yield to the Spirit all things and …get those emotions under God’s control! ?

The Lord be with you, 

Bianca