Navigating Emotions

“37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37”

There are many challenges we will face throughout this lifetime. Some are easily tamed while others are not. Yet the bible encourages us that while we are under the Lord’s umbrella – we will be conquerors because we love the Lord.

Sometimes that means after we pass from this life and sometimes it means while we are still here on earth.

But it doesn’t mean we can’t feel discouraged and acknowledge those emotions that come with being frustrated. That is ok. I believe that if we weren’t meant to feel these emotions then the Lord wouldn’t have given them to us. But He did.

We are meant to feel. These feelings also have roots. When we trace back the feelings, we’re experiencing we can then understand and work through them to find peace or healing.

I touch base about emotions in my book, The Sea Glass Soul within chapter 7, but I really wanted to highlight it today. I believe when we understand emotions then ultimately understand ourselves better as well.

Here are some personal examples from my more recent world.

In a recent conversation with a friend, she and I were frustrated how a situation was going for someone. We were angry equating to the emotion of being mad.

My vehicle broke down and repairs were quite expensive. Much more than I wanted them to be. This put me in a position that caused me to feel embarrassed I didn’t have a working vehicle, which translates to feeling anxious over the situation and the root of this is feeling scared.

On a lighter note, the wonderful man The Lord brought into my life makes me feel relaxed. I don’t feel stress or have high anxiety like I did in previous relationships. This allows me to be thoughtful or absorbed in thought over our relationship and wonderful man I am with, and ultimately the root of this feeling is peace.

There are many tree branches to things we feel. Often times when my children are communicating with large emotions, I try to trace it back to what they are ultimately feeling if it is outside of natural responses from being hungry, hot, cold or tired. It helps me as their mother to bring awareness to the surface about how they are feeling to give them tools to process in a healthy manner. It also allows me the opportunity to extend grace. (I will say it is MUCH easier said than done.)

Here is a feelings wheel you may use for reference in understanding emotions of yourself and those around you.

I pray and hope spring is bringing in hope and peace to you all. Whatever the situation presently or in the future, remember emotions are present to show us how we feel about things. In the same regard, when you couple the situation with the Lord, you ARE more than a conqueror.