Taking Control of Emotions

The northwest suburbs are very safe. Our crime rate here is low, and things like murder, rape, home invasions, etc., are rare. But when we moved here from a small town in Wisconsin, we felt like we were moving into gangland. Only because it was “Chicago” and people outside the area associate Chicagoland with lots of crime.Our first night in our house here, August 1, 2007, was one I’ll never forget. Of course, all the doors were locked. Some of our things were still scattered around but we had made good progress in finding places for everything. We went to bed around midnight.Around 1am, Linda and I woke up to the unmistakable sound of the stairs squeaking. We froze in our bed and listened carefully. We heard it again, this time softly, as though someone had stopped in their tracks, then was carefully tiptoeing back down the stairs. Linda wouldn’t get up to investigate, so I had to :-). I was a life-long hunter, but my hunting guns were hidden in the basement. So I had no weapon. I looked around the room and found a heavy water glass on my nightstand and figured I could use it as a club. After waiting several minutes and not hearing anything, I worked up the nerve to step out of our bedroom, "water glass club” in hand. I first checked all three kids in their bedrooms and they were ok. I turned the stairway light on––no one there. I slowly headed down the stairs, and sure enough, I heard that familiar creak as I hit the bottom couple of stairs. I went from room to room, turning lights on everywhere, with my water glass cocked and ready to swing. I looked in every closet and all through the basement––nothing (Linda even made me peek inside the dryer!). I backtracked, turning off all lights, and went back upstairs. Erica had gotten up and was sitting on our bed with Linda, also scared by this time. I sent her back to her bed, and as she got in, we heard that same squeaking sound. It was her bed all along! Every time she moved on her bed, it made a creaking sound like our stair steps (it hadn’t been put together properly). Linda and I were all jacked up over nothing.Emotions are a powerful thing. Your state of mind creates images and imaginations that motivate and/or demotivate your choices and behavior. Emotions can be a gift or a curse. And it all comes down to this question: Do you control your emotions or do your emotions control you?On Easter Sunday (it’s really hard to believe Easter is a week away!), we are launching a new series: EMOJIS––taking control of your emotions instead of your emotions controlling you. You might be surprised how much the Bible says about emotions and their place in our lives. I think you will also find the series to be immediately applicable in your life.Emotions can be an enjoyable friend or a miserable enemy. You get to choose which.