Psychological Matters

Thought: A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. Proverbs 29:11 Emotions play an important role. We already know they are not to dictate the direction of our day-to-day decisions, but feelings remind us we are alive. They add color and texture. Our reactions let us know how life impacts us. Some situations make us sad; others excited. Life without emotions would be flat and joyless. Some emotional reactions are also a warning. Anger, jealousy, guilt, and embarrassment tell us that we need to pay attention. These feelings inform us something is wrong. They urge us to consider making some kind of change. We should not ignore these feelings. They are like a STOP sign along the roadside. If we pay attention to the underlying cause(s), we will be able to make appropriate adjustments which should reduce our internal tension. Negative emotions are misunderstood. Many people believe all feelings should be acted on. If we feel anger, then w...

Thought: So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. Galatians 5:16-17 Did you try the experiment I recommended in the last article? How did it go? Which driving force played the largest role in your decision-making process? I wonder if you discovered the same thing that I did: my emotional state controlled too much of my day-to-day life. This isn't surprising since we consistently hear from cultural influences that we should satisfy our emotional needs. Nike's slogan encourages us to "just do it." McDonald's tells us that we "deserve a break today." Most marketing jingles suggest we might be happier people if we regularly attended to our emotional and physical needs. Are those messages accurate? A better questio...