The Emotional Roller Coaster of Life
You cannot be spiritually mature if you are still emotionally immature!
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7 (Living Bible)
Here in America, we have places where people go for fun and relaxation. One of these places is something called an amusement park. This park doesn’t feature trees, flowers or grass. The main attractions for these “parks” are the variety of machines that one can ride – just for fun. One of these machines is called a roller coaster.
A roller coaster is an amusement park attraction that consists of a light railroad track with many tight turns and steep slopes, on which people ride in small fast open cars. People enjoy them because they take you on an unpredictable, fast, trilling ride.
Our lives can be compared to an emotional roller coaster. In life, we will all experience: highs, lows, unexpected sharp curves, unseen drops and times of uncertainty.
Life takes us through wild and unpredictable changes. The enjoyable and pleasurable times don’t usually present a problem. It is those times that are stormy, unstable, unsettled, explosive, full of conflict, of confusion, etc., when our emotions tend to be out of control.
Whatever circumstances we encounter, our emotions must remain under the subjection of the Holy Spirit. Our emotions should not experience the dramatically changeable manner of a roller coaster. (Emotions differ from feelings, which is a subject to be addressed at another time.)
Emotions cause us to react. Emotions are the reactions that we experience in response to events or situations. The type of emotion thar a person displays is determined by the circumstance that triggers that emotion. For instance, a person experiences joy when they receive good news. Whatever the trigger, all of our emotions must be brought under the subjection of the Holy Ghost.
So, because life is full of roller coaster experiences, we must know how to deal with our emotions.
How do we deal with our emotions as we “ride” the roller coasters in life?
- Manage our triggers. For many people our roller coasters experiences reveal spirits of rejection, pride and self pity ….which are produced in anger! (Proverbs 16:32, Ephesians 4: 26,27 - ESV)
- Know that God has given us control of our own spirits. However, it is then our responsibility to release that control to the Holy Spirit. (Proverbs 25:28; 29:11)
- Realizing that my opinion really is not important! We are reminded of this in 2 Corinthians 10:5b.
As with every roller coaster ride, at a predetermined time – the roller coaster will slow down, and the ride will end. Therefore, as we remember our key verse, we will have the wisdom to successfully govern every emotion that we encounter – and continue to be an overcomer – REGARDLESS!
REMEMBER: You cannot be spiritually mature if you are still emotionally immature!
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