Emotions and Drivers of

NOTE: In this post, when I say the word love, I mean the true decision to love and let yourself be loved. NOT the emotion, which either follows the decision to love, or is just an empty emotion you feel because you are needy.

I am a teenager, in being so, I am often overwhelmed with emotions, often many similtaneously. Some emotions cause frustration. Others peace or excitement, both are extremely dangerous. With frustration, it is so very easy to become short-tempered with people. This is the opposite of love, our goal. Remember? Love is patient, love is kind. Slow to anger... Ah... Slow to anger. A short-temper is then, in direct opposition to what love is, therefore is NOT love. There's nothing wrong with anger on it's own, but let me tell you-it is a state you enter in, without a decision and is incredibly harder to resist sin, or even see it coming.

Peace and excitement is a little easier to talk about. It's good right? Yeah, it's great. But have you thought about where your peace and excitement come from? Peace and excitement (or any emotion) apart from God is empty (by apart from God, I don't mean this just for people that aren't saved, I mean that if you acquired this emotion without God). Emptiness needs to be filled, and unless you make the DECISION to fill it with Christ, the world will throw at you so many things to fill it up. Even if you don't make a decision, consequences will come, choosing not to choose is a choice. Jesus will not force himself into your heart, even if you have already accepted Him. Think about this also... When you are happy and content, what inspiration do you have to reach out to others? You're taken care of. *sigh*

So where do emotions come from? Everything. The right kind come from people who care about you, and Jesus Christ. By right kind I don't mean anger is bad and excitement is good. I mean that there is a right way to experience both. Being angry in love is better than being excited in selfishness. Think about emotions like cars; Cars themselves are not dangerous, but who drives them, and how they drive is what causes danger or safety. Please, please, please let Jesus be the driver. Because guess what? He wants to drive.