What we feel is based on what we think… If you’re not convinced, just for a quick second, imagine the emotions you would experience if you got a phone call saying a loved one (choose one) was killed in an accident. (I’m sorry to do that to you!)
Now imagine the relief when the next phone call comes, saying that there had been a mistake – your loved one was alive and well after all. If you like that kind of drama, watch the movie Fried Green Tomatoes… It happens twice!
Did they die and then come back to life? In reality, no, but in your mind, yes. Emotions are tricky.
Dealing with my kids, there are moments of total panic or anger, in which emotions are so strong that all other systems shut down. The only way through those moments is to validate the emotions, give comfort, and then present new information. The force of what they are feeling takes on a life of its own.
Emotions are powerful things. But they start from whatever facts or information we have at the time. Having a foundation of understanding of God’s word keeps us from going off the deep end; we know the truth about who God is, and who we are, and even when circumstances of life get crazy, there’s peace in the middle of the storm.
Neil has this to say: Life’s events don’t determine who you are; God determines who you are, and your interpretation of life’s events determines how well you will handle the pressures of life.
Many of my heroes are people who have taken really bad circumstances and walked through them with grace; they come out on the other side having stronger, better. I want to be one of those people. Can you think of someone like that in your life?
Thanks Michele! that was a good post today. :)
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