Emotions: Not a Dictatorship

I am so glad that God did not create my emotions to rule me.  True, it can be hard not to sin in the face of emotions, but they do not dictate my actions.  Christ has that role in my life, not my emotions.  I am so thankful that He - the unchanging I AM - is the Rock upon which I can place all of my trust, and to carry out His will, rather than letting my shifting emotions rule me (and thus, be my god).

I haven’t been as successful of late at ruling my emotions - especially anger - but Christ is using that to not only reveal more of my sin issues to me, but to help me to grow to be more like Him through it.  Practice, practice.  Today was a fair example.

It was a big day at our church of counting all of the pledges and gifts that we have thus far received toward our building campaign.  I thought I had told my husband that I would be counting after second service (which would leave him with our little man), but either had forgotten, or wasn’t very clear.  I finished counting and came out to help him with the little man to discover that he was rather frustrated with me.  I felt a range of emotions at this, beginning with anger, traveling to disappointment, and ending in a sense of frustrated loss.  I thought I did everything I could to help.  Why wasn’t it enough?

As I considered my thoughts, I realized that my anger wasn’t righteous, and that it was a result of a wrong focus.  I was focusing on myself and my husband, and God wasn’t at the head of it.  That anger, disappointment, and sense of loss didn’t have to rule my day.  I could let it, but that would also be denying God the throne of my heart - denying Him the worship that He is due.  I would rather bring Him glory, and let the grace that He gave me extend from my own heart to my husband.  It was really only due to a miscommunication, anyway, and I had played my own part in it.

The rest of my day wasn’t dampened by emotions of anger, frustration, or disappointment.  I was content.  When God is truly my focus, and on the throne of my heart, other priorities (even selfish ones) pale in comparison.  There is Joy, contentment, and peace in His throne room.  Emotions, to be sure, but even these emotions aren’t my dictators.  Christ is.

What or who ruled your heart today?