Connecting Point: Navigating Emotions

At fifty-one years old, I still find glory, fun, and contentment in our vast and wild Montana. Specifically, on my boating experiences, I have enjoyed small raft, one-man skiff, canoe, and kayak. I’ve been dunked by them all. I’ve never had the experience of sailing, yet and still, with little watercraft knowledge, I respect the wind.

I recall one fishing trip on a small reservoir in the Pintler Range southwest of Anaconda as a child. My grandfather and father took me on many fishing trips. I was a nine-year-old. “How do you tie that hook on again?” That afternoon a storm rolled over the mountains in a matter of minutes. At the far end of the reservoir, we set back to the dock a thirty-minute row, or with our boat motor maybe five minutes. Except for the wind. It was a wall. I felt scared. That small boat seemed to stand still against the engine’s full rev. A little to me, it seemed we were locked into that mountain storm until it

decided to let us be.

The imagination of a small boy without knowing that the motor would navigate and that we would succeed--you know, I more appreciate mountain storms, mountain camping, and mountain climbing all because of that storm.

Emotions too can be quite tumultuous like a storm. All of us experience emotions, especially as we deal with uncontrollable hardships in life as well as joyful situations. Solomon brings this to our attention stating, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens….a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4).

First, we must understand that God gave us emotions. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Our emotions serve a purpose in specific moments of life; we mourn or grieve after the death of a loved one, we cry in moments of pain or tragedy. We laugh on happy occasions or funny antics of another. We even dance on celebratory events. Emotions are healthy and appropriate in their proper time. We must also come to understand that emotions are not sinful in themselves; our responses can lead to sinful thoughts or actions. Jesus dealt with negative emotions, including anger and grief, yet he did not sin. We all can learn from his example.

Second, we must understand that thoughts stir our emotions. Bio-chemical matters play a role in some people at a greater level than others, affecting emotions. God’s Word provides us with an effective tool to combat our negative and unhealthy emotions resulting from our thoughts; Romans 12:2. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Daily, we must keep our mind renewed on God and His principles. That keeps the accent on the positive.

As you navigate life, embrace your emotions, don’t disqualify them. Also, surrender those emotions to God. He sees them anyway. Alasdair Groves wisely provides a balance, “Our emotions are neither the most important thing about us, something to be worshiped nor are they the least important, a problem to be avoided or ignored.” Thanks for reading the column. May God bless.