Painful Emotions Reveal…
Much like the fisherman who is looking for fish knows to go where the water is roiling, we will often find our idols at the bottom of our painful emotions, especially those that never seem to lift and that drive us to do things we know are wrong.
If you are angry, ask, “Is there something here too important to me, something I am telling myself I have to have at all costs?” The same can be said of strong fear or despair or guilt. Ask yourself “Am I so scared, because something is being threatened, which I think is a necessity when it is not?” “Am I so down on myself because I have lost or failed at something which I think is a necessity when it’s not?” If you are overworking, driving yourself into the ground with frantic activity, ask yourself, “Do I feel that I must push myself to, or perhaps over the edge to be fulfilled and significant?” When you ask yourself questions like these, (pulling your emotions up by the roots) you will often find your idols clinging to them.
God will use our pain to strengthen us and encourage others to trust and believe that He is working despite what we may or may not see. Paul writes in II Corinthians 1:4, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others, When they are troubled we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
Jesus willingly suffered the greatest pain because He knew the end of the story, and so do we. Think about it!
An Integrity Hockey Stop-n-Think 5.25.2023
