Vital Habit 6
Emotional Control
Strength
can also be found in our emotions if we use them as God intends. If we let our
emotions enslave us, however, they can sap our strength. Anger, for example can
motivate us to take a stand against injustice, right a wrong or fix a broken
system. Rage run amok, however, can destroy us as well as others. Anger
directed outwards can lead to murder or terrorism. Anger directed inward can
lead to suicide or depression.
Sexual
desire or romantic love can be wonderful in a marriage. They can inspire
masterpieces of art. But, when they begin to control a person’s life they can
destroy families and individuals. The same is true with almost any emotion.
When used as God intends they are helpful. When they begin to control us more
than God does, they destroy us.
While it is true that
we cannot simply turn our emotions on and off, it is a dangerous lie to believe
that we have no control over our emotions. Some emotional responses have
become habitual and are extremely difficult and time consuming to change. But
difficult and impossible are quite different.
Some people are deeply emotionally scarred and
wish to remain that way.
The
fact that they suffered trauma in their childhood is the perfect ticket for
retiring from life before it has even started. “My father beat me,… my mother
left me,… my wife was unfaithful…therefore, I can’t help the way I feel and
act. I have an excuse to be the way I am. I can’t succeed anyway, so, I’m
never really going to try and thus I’m never really going to fail.” This is the
biggest, most destructive lie that the adversary could ever get you to believe.
It gets you to give up without even putting up a fight.
It is
important to be sympathetic and patient with people who suffered trauma as
children. Their battle for recovery is enormous and lengthy. It’s very hard
for people who have not experienced it to understand. Too much sympathy and too
much patience, however, can doom these people to a lifetime of problems. It is
very hard to know where to draw the line between offering sympathy and
encouraging people to stop wallowing in self-pity. Usually those best qualified
to draw the balance are those who have experienced similar trauma and have a
healthy amount of experience with recovery.
God can still heal
today just as God did in the Bible. Emotional healing can be very painful and
difficult, but those who have the courage to face the pain will find that they
not only can be healed, but that they can grow far stronger than most who have
never had to face their problem.
Vital Habit #7 - Respect all Truth Equally