Emotions are an Indicator, not a Dictator

She was happy and full of babbling energy, the Spring day she fell in the bubbling brook.

Our emotions can change quickly, but there is one constant. God sorts through the junk and gives us hope. My little girl had so much fun the day this picture was taken. We had friends over and we enjoyed a picnic and visit to the park. She was smiling and laughing, and it all stopped the moment she fell into the frigid water. Spring might have arrived, but it had yet to change the temperature of the water. She kept toying with the idea to play in the water despite mommy warning her that it was not warm enough. She "felt" the air temperature was a good indication of what the water might be like. She didn't want to believe me.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. Who can understand it?

Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered

Recently, I have experienced a lot of turmoil. Different crisis' and such has been overwhelming at times. My mom and I talking and playing with my children in the pool the other day. She looked at me and asked "How are you doing?" The sincerity of the question pricked my heart, and I began to cry. It compelled her to want to grab me and hug me while promising everything would be ok.

Little did she know that while grabbing me for a mama hug, she also had submerged my sobbing mouth and two thirds of my nose (if a nose can be divided in thirds) into the pool water. I was grasping for air which caused her to assume I was inconsolable and she squeezed even harder . Her arms clung tightly around my neck as she lovingly gave words of encouragement and I secretly was drowning.

Remember that scripture about the heart being desperately sick? Well, me crying, her hugging, and me drowning, made me laugh hysterically. It was hilarious. I was finally able to get out of the water enough to tell her to stop loving me to death!

I told her I would never think of "Drowning in my sorrows." the same again. I also told her God knew exactly what I needed. He knew I needed to laugh. He loves me so much, and he loves to give us perspective.

No I don't think God was saying "Hey kid, things could be worse, you could be dead."

He was saying, "I am your heavenly father, and I know the end of the story. So, laugh."

My daddy recently passed, and I think, had he been here, he would have been concerned and wanted to comfort me, but he would also have found the first chance to make us laugh. My daddy was hilarious, and I inherited some of that goodness from him. My heavenly father wanted me to laugh, and to show me the things he delights in about me.  I was crying at the beginning and partly due to feeling bad about myself and my worth. But God touched a part of me and said, "I love this about you."

The things we believe about ourselves if gone unchecked, can impact our actions. My little girl believed she needed to flirt with a creek, and ended up freezing. She saw my rule not to get near the water as a bad thing keeping her from something good. I saw the bad thing of her getting super cold as something good that might prompt her to trust mommy a little bit better.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

In the bad, and in the good, God sees the end of the story and is working on our behalf for our Good. If we don't have his word, or the gentle tug of his sweet spirit through prayer and fellowship with other believers, we could very well end up drowning in emotional despair. Our emotions might take reign and become a dictator.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The word of God is alive, and just as the joy my daddy passed down to me is still alive, it needed to be tickled. The more of God's word we know, the more quickly we can separate truth from lies. Fickle emotions from spiritual insight and wisdom. There will be times we grieve, and are not "happy," but that does not dictate our eternal value in Christ, or negate the hope we have, that in all things, God is working for our Good.

Set your thermostat on Jesus, and dress accordingly. Put on the full armor of God, and protect your heart and head. Crisis and turmoil will come, but your shield of faith can withstand the fiery darts.