Surrendering Emotions

I am so thankful that we have a God that loves us so much that he gave us free will. He could have made us robots that just worshiped him 24/7, but instead God gave us emotions so that we can freely love him. Without the ability to feel, we wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. We wouldn't be able to truly love or even contemplate what a selfless love feels like.

Each day brings different emotions. Whether it be anxiety before a test, joy because you get to go to your favorite place in the whole world, or fear that comes with hard conversations, we have the ability to feel it all. And we feel it all deeply. God gave us this beautiful and wonderful gift of emotion, but sometimes we can take it for granted. We have the opportunity to be worried, but God doesn't want us to distrust him with that emotion. God gave us emotions as a test of faith. Though we have the freedom to feel, what we choose to do with that emotion portrays our character.

In situations of anger, you are usually (not always) presented with two choices: 1) Take that anger out on someone else, or 2) take it to the Lord. If I take my anger and frustrations to the Lord and say, "Hey Jesus help me control my anger so that I can be a good representative of you" I would be surrendering my emotion to the Lord and trusting that he will correct me. Whenever we get really anxious or worried, God calls us to trust in him. If you think about it, anxiety stems from uncertainty and from fear that things won't turn out our way. That's distrusting God's beautiful and perfect plans for our lives. Trust me... it is hard to give up control. I still haven't mastered that skill yet. But what we have to realize is that things aren't always going to go our way. The sooner we can release control to the author and perfecter of our lives, the sooner we can experience peace beyond our understanding.

Another cool thing about surrendering our emotions is that it allows us to have quiet and intentional time with the Lord. Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." By coming before the Lord with our hands open saying "Lord, please align my thoughts and desires with yours" we are acknowledging that we are not in control and that our plan is not the best plan.

Friends, don't be afraid to surrender and humble yourself. By letting God have control over our emotions, we allow ourselves to be free. Just like Philippians 4:6-7 says, we will have peace. God is so good. He gave us freewill and the ability to feel deeply. He wants us to feel deeply. Emotions are not a bad thing! Just remember to take those feelings to the Lord and give him ultimate control. Be free.