Do you let your emotions get the best of you? Do you wear your heart on your sleeve, or are you a locked vault? Completely disgusted by the idea of sharing your emotions and or feelings with others? Maybe somewhere in between?
Learning to process emotions is a skill. Something we hopefully learned from our parents and mentors. Not being able to process emotions can lead to an excess build-up in our bodies and create blocks. Ever wonder why someone is so angry? They probably need to work through some unprocessed emotions.
It’s not bad to feel a certain way, it’s the way we act on the feelings that can get us into trouble. Thank goodness for my journal and the word of God! They have been huge tools for me to vent and tune into the truth. I find that the wisdom of Proverbs has helped me so much:
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
The soothing tongue is like a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4
A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. Proverbs 15:19
Have you ever been in a situation where you thought someone was going to get mad but instead they responded with a gentle, smooth, patient answer? That's wisdom in action.
A couple practical things I do to shift my reactions:
First, constantly be grounded in the word. When I spend time with God in His word, I learn more about His character and His wishes for me. That alone grounds me; it offers me peace that can't be found anywhere else. When I'm grounded in truth, my reaction is grounded in it too.
Second, look at things through a different lens. When I look through my lens, I'm blind. When I look through the lens of God, I see people for who they really are - a child of God. When I see people the way He does does, my reaction to them is filled with grace and empathy, not anger and hate.
With these two things, it’s not me reacting anymore - it’s me honoring God with my response, sharing the love and forgiveness He first showed me. My wise counselor reminds me how to act as a wise person and avoid quick-temperedness.
Yours,
Jillian
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I've been reading Proverbs quite a bit lately and felt inspired to write my own version of a Proverb. I wrote this for myself as an offering to God. I want to share it with you to illustrate how I spend my quiet time with God for self-development and to align my mindset more with God.
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