Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.
This blog week we have been talking about the various ways that we learn & grow. I mentioned on Monday that each morning when we wake up and our feet hit the floor, we are walking into the classroom of life. In the “classroom” our teacher, the Lord teaches us through the many things that we experience throughout our day.
One way we learn from him is through the Holy Spirit, which gently nudges us to do or refrain from doing certain things. Another way we learn is through people. We have the opportunity to learn through the things they do, say &/or know. Today I want to talk to you about the third way we learn, and that is through our emotions .
In Galatians 5:22-23 we are told about the fruits of the spirit being love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Now, I don’t know about you, but I , on many occasions have fallen short of these things towards myself and others. Not only have I felt unloved, sad, and stressed, but I have been unkind and harsh to people around me. So, why is it that I sometimes feel these negative emotions; although, I am told of the more positive ones that are within me?
Well, while I believe that it is normal to feel the less than positive emotions that I sometimes feel, I also believe that they are an indicator of work that needs to be done within me. In other words, there is something that the Lord is trying to teach me as a result of these emotions. The problem is we often fail to see the lesson in them because we are too busy blaming our circumstance or others for them. We say things like, “he makes me feel……” or “that made me feel….”. The truth is neither is true. “He” nor “it” can make us feel any certain way.
If we can learn to look within ourselves when these emotions inevitably occur, we will see that they have nothing to do with anyone else, but everything to do with what is in our own hearts. Does this make any since to you? I sure hope so, because it makes total since to me. The point is, there is a lesson to be learned through the negative emotions that we sometimes feel; however, we must be open to it. The question is, are you open to it?
On that note, I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend. I will see you here on Monday morning, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thefaithfilledtraveler/ , until then . Be sure to take some time to rest, and to enjoy the ones that you love! Take care!
Warmest regards,
Salina Watson
The Faith Filled Traveler 
Salina, I just learned that the last two weeks. My family is very strong about emotions and voicing them has always been negative. Sometimes it is hard to react but learning to listen is more of hard thing to do without reacting. It is very hard lesson and voicing your opinion to things is what makes you you. This post brought it home for me because I feel the same way you do. Thank you for posting
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Marlena,
I have learned over the years that I don’t have to listen to what everyone else is saying, and that I, too, have a voice. If something that someone else is saying is hurting you more than it is helping you, you can walk away. But remember, if what they are saying is hurtful, it is a reflection of their heart… not yours. (hugs)
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