When God created us, He did so that we might be unique individuals with specific character traits. None of us were ‘stamped out’ in a cookie cutter fashion, but individually. We each have emotions that can be held in check or released to act in whatever way we please. Some emotions (just to name a few) are joy and happiness, sadness and sorrow, peace and anger, or guilt and freedom from guilt.
Have you ever met someone who was living a monotone life? There just didn’t seem to be any up’s or down with them. They were always on an even keel all the time. They were what we might call an “C+ personality.” Nothing ever seems to shake them, and they never seem to get angry.
On the other hand, there are some of us who are highly emotional people. When we are up, we are sky high. When we are down, we are at a low point that some people would never understand. When we are angry, it is a matter of staying clear so that no one gets hurt.
Again, God has created us to be free agents to experience our emotions. And, there is nothing wrong with expressing our emotions because it is healthy to do so. Life can be a ‘roller-coaster’ of emotions with many twists and turns, hills and free-falls, and what seems to be uncontrolled speed. But our emotions, whatever they might be, must be brought under control.
It seems that every time I turn on the television to watch the news, or read a newspaper, there are reports of someone robbing, maiming or killing someone else. Why? Because the offender allowed their emotions to be completely unrestrained.
In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul wrote, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Each of these ‘nine spiritual fruit’ are character traits that God desires of us to develop, and the last fruit (self-control) is the key to balancing the rest.
Have you ever heard someone say, “Control yourself?” Perhaps they were giddy with happiness or steaming with anger. At that moment they seemed to be out-of-control. The statement was an effort to make them examine themselves and take control over their emotions, so they do not act out inappropriately.
Self-control is disciplining self under the control of the Holy Spirit. As we consider each fruit, we have a choice to be at peace with others or angry with them, to be impatient or suffer long before we explode, or to be kind or rude.
In a situation where we let out emotions get the best of us, we may say, “I can’t control myself.” While that may be true in one sense, it is untrue in another because when we let God be in control, He will empower us to be under His control to give daily life a better end.
-Jerry L. Dunn, Oak Street Baptist Church
