Our emotions can actually draw us closer to God.
Ever have moments when life goes sideways and you feel emotionally out of control? It happens to the best of us.
Here's the great news: God made us with emotional needs, and He designed those needs to be filled by Him. Second Corinthians 1:3 describes Him as the "source of all comfort." Psalm 31:20 says that God hides us in the shelter of His presence when trouble comes.
Isn’t it great to know we can trust God with our feelings? But, practically speaking, what can that look like to partner with God to manage our emotions?
First, Notice and Acknowledge What You're Feeling
One of the most powerful steps in managing our emotions is acknowledging our feelings. Many of the women I work with have no idea what they're feeling beyond surface-level emotions like anger and overwhelm.
We often resist feeling the depth of our emotions, distract ourselves, or cover up our feelings by telling ourselves to "just believe the truth." Yet there is incredible freedom in just acknowledging before God that our feelings are valid.
Second, Get Alone with God to Process
When we bring our emotions before God, He can help us discern which aspects of our emotions are rooted in truth and which are rooted in lies. This starts by completing simple statements like "It's true that..." and "It's not true that...". This exercise is especially helpful if you discover that your emotions and related thoughts are filled with black-or-white statements.
Here’s a tip: use a good online Bible concordance to enter key emotions and see what Scripture says on that topic. Journaling your feelings in relationship to Scripture can also help you process side-by-side with the Lord as you allow His truth to direct your emotions.
Third, Listen to God for Tangible Ways to Restore Your Soul
Acknowledging our feelings and spending time in God's word to process what we're feeling is incredibly important so that we can manage emotions in a healthy, God-honoring way.
However, once the heat of the emotion has been processed, we often need ways to fill our soul back up with the reality of His presence and to feel emotionally whole again.
Simple self-care practices such as going out into nature, getting exercise, drinking water, eating a healthy meal, or even doing something creative can help. Turning on praise music or practicing Christian meditation can also allow our minds to dwell on heavenly truths.
Want More Help With Managing Your Emotions?
Sister, if you're tired of up-and-down feelings stealing your peace, I encourage you to take the next step and check out my book, Emotional Confidence: 3 Simple Steps to Manage Emotions with Science and Scripture.
I believe that our emotions can actually draw us closer to God, and in this book, I'll show you a simple three-step method to invite God into your emotional processing for a calmer, more joy-filled life. Get it here.
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