Negative Emotions and Ultimate Joy

Happy July!  The summer is half over, and it's been awesome.  Truly awesome.  The days have been filled with quality family time, relaxation and a few naps, household projects, and much needed time with family and friends.  When people ask me if I am having a good summer, the answer is an immediate and definite, "YES!"  I love being home, especially when my husband and kids are home with me.  What a joy it is to like the people you live with! 

Creighton and Ellery seem to be enjoying their summer as well.  Creighton finished day 2 of Tadpoles and Guppies (swimming lessons for 2-year olds) this morning.  He loves the water.  I'd like to think he enjoys spending the time with his mom, also :) .  Ellery is growing into a beautiful little girl - she's almost 5 months old already.  Time flies - everyone knows it, and it's true!  We really are having a great summer.


Ellery at 4 1/2 months



Creighton - 2 yrs 10 months



I would be lying if I said I am excited to start school again.  I do love my job, and I love the kids I get the privilege to work with, but I really love being home with my own kids.  There are days I already feel sad because I know that soon I'll be leaving them at day care so that I can go to work.  It's not that I worry about them - but it's that I LOVE being around them.  They bring me immeasureable joy.

I read a devotional this morning that is too good not to share.  My life is filled with so many blessings - it's impossible to count them all.  But, despite that, I still have negative feelings sometimes.  Everyone does.  I struggle with so many things, despite the joy I feel, and maybe I dwell on them more right now because I'm home and I have more time to think.  I don't want to go into the specific things I struggle with, but I'm sure everyone who reads this can relate to a few.  Inadequacy, loneliness, regret, self-consciousness, and ignorance are just a few negative emotions that creep into my life and try to steal my joy.  I posted a sign below that I found on a website... and at first I agreed with it completely, until the Lord opened my eyes this morning with the devotion that I will share later. 
 

borrowed from http://amytangerine.blogspot.com/, via Pinterest

Basically, the sign is true.  I told a good friend last week that it is so important for me to remain positive, and to think positive thoughts - in my circumstances and in my relationships.  If I think negatively about someone or something, eventually it will catch up with me and I am the one who will suffer for it, as will the people I love so much who will sense my negative attitude.  So, instead of thinking negative thoughts, I'm trying to be more positive.  It's true that attitude is contagious.  I want to be positive, and even though I don't always "feel" positive, it is important for me to try to remain in a positive state of mind. 

It's also important to admit my negative emotions - even if the only one who knows about them is the Lord.  This is where the devotion I read comes into play.  It's awesome.  It tells me that I'm okay - and it's okay to feel the way I do sometimes because a feeling is REAL, whether it's positive or negative.  But, I need to remember to involve the One who knows my heart best - and find out why I feel the way I do, and act on it.  Good stuff below.  Open your heart and let it touch you like it did me this morning.

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From Gary Chapman's The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional

Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.  - Proverbs 14:13

Some Christians don't want to accept the fact that they have negative emotions.  Anger, fear, disappointment, loneliness, frustration, depression, and sorrow don't fit the stereotype of successful Christian living.  We often try to push negative emotions to the back burner and ignore them.  That doesn't work very well, as King Solomon noted.  We can ignore our negative feelings, but that doesn't make them go away.  In fact, ignoring them can actually intensify them.

I beleive that it is far more productive to identify and accept our emotions and then seek God's direction regarding what we are feeling.  Feelings are like thermometers.  They report whether we are hot or cold, whether all is well or not so well.  If all is well, we can celebrate by praising God.  (There are many biblical examples of this; see Psalm 103 for one.)  If emotions indicate that all is not well, we can turn to God for help. (Again, see the Psalms for vivid examples of King David and others bringing strong feelings to God.  Psalm 13 is one example.)  God wil give us wisdom if we need to take action.  He can give us comfort if the situation cannot be changed.  Always, we should share our emotions with God and seek his guidance.

"Lord, this is how I feel.  Now what do you want me to do about it?"  This approach wil lead to more insight about yourself, more empathy for your spouse, and more wisdom in your decisions.  All this contributes to a growing marriage.

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Summer will end soon, and life will go on, and my children will still bring me joy.  And, I may find joy in other places if I allow myself to.  Like I said before, life is short.  I want to enjoy every minute and not be distracted by the negative.  Our God is a jealous God - he wants a part in EVERY emotion that we feel, and He wants to use our positive AND negative emotions for His glory.  If we involve the Lord in every emotion we feel, we will find peace and contentment, and we will continue to learn and grow and become the person God desires us to be.