Emotions can be powerful things. People who are angry, sad, or grief-stricken may say or do things that harm relationships due to their strong emotions. Because those emotions are not properly processed, they leak into our worldview and affect how we relate to ourselves, others, and God.
When you’re going through a difficult situation, anger and sadness can linger for months or even years. Processing big emotions is a process, so those feelings don’t go away right away. Instead, they often stay with me for extended periods of time. I pray, cry, journal, and pour out my heart to God. I am an honest and vulnerable person with God.
Even if my circumstances don’t change, my intimacy with God increases because I choose to be vulnerable with Him. For years I felt like my time with God was wasted unless my circumstances changed. But God has shown me that He is more interested in my heart than in solving problems. God is not a genie in a bottle. God cares about our lives and has everything in mind for our benefit, but He cares more about us being in the right relationship than He cares about making life easy.
Sometimes, other events caused painful emotions that still remain with me. Life is difficult, and events that disrupt or even disrupt relationships are difficult to process. The community grieves the loss and needs to be dealt with. For many years I believed I was trapped by these emotions. I thought I would never be able to stop feeling angry and sad again. The events I went through and the betrayals I endured were too much to overcome.
One day I started a gratitude journal. I tried to think of 10-20 things that I am grateful for. It was difficult at first. I had to look for things to be grateful for. One of my entries was “I was grateful for the shoes on my feet.” But when I tried to change my mindset from frustration to gratitude, I noticed a change in my attitude.
Even if my situation didn’t change, I decided to look at it from a different perspective. I have decided to look at this situation with an attitude of gratitude rather than anger or disappointment, but just because my attitude has changed doesn’t mean I have decided to ignore this difficult situation.
Although I was still dealing with mixed emotions from the event, I learned that gratitude helped me feel less bad and sad. Once I got used to changing my attitude to gratitude, my mood instantly brightened and I began to live my life with gratitude instead of dissatisfaction.
Here’s how I’ve learned that gratitude can lift any mood.
Emotions can change easily
Emotions cannot be trusted because they increase and decrease. Some days I might feel sad. Next, I may feel angry. The next day, you might feel happy. Emotions change so quickly that it is difficult to recognize what is true and what is just.
Additionally, emotions are based on thoughts in your head. If my thoughts are not based on the truth of God’s Word, my emotions will quickly follow. Therefore, I may be following my heart instead of God’s truth. Jeremiah warned us about this when he said, “The heart is deceitful above all else, and there is no cure. Who can know?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Fairy tales and children’s entertainment often teach us to follow our hearts. This is not true. It’s not based on the Bible. However, many children carry it into adulthood. They often make snap decisions based on what their heart tells them to do. Your heart may tell you to follow one path because it is filled with sinful depravity, but it is often a selfish desire and can wreak havoc on your relationship with God and others.
Don’t trust your feelings. Instead, trust in the truth of the Bible. The Bible speaks of a God who never changes. He is someone we can trust.
Jesus chose gratitude
One of Jesus’ last acts before his crucifixion was communion with the apostles. During this time, he broke bread and lifted it up to heaven to give thanks. His final example to his disciples was one of gratitude. Even though he knew what was about to happen, he was still grateful. He chose to be grateful for his situation even though he knew it would mean enduring incredible physical, mental, and emotional pain.
God is a model of gratitude for us to follow. Be grateful for your situation and find silver linings even in difficult situations. My attitude is one of choice. I can choose to be grateful for everything. Or you can choose to stir up sadness, grief, and anger. These emotions can make you feel depressed or make you feel happy even in the midst of sadness. The choice is mine. Jesus chose gratitude, so I should choose gratitude too.
gratitude changes attitudes
It is difficult to change attitudes overnight. When you see the world through a negative lens, it’s not easy to see it through other lenses. But constant gratitude rewires your brain to see things with gratitude rather than despair and disappointment. It is difficult to maintain an attitude of gratitude, but our attitude will definitely change and we will be grateful for all that God has given us instead of focusing on what we lack. We leave what we lack in God’s hands and are grateful for all the blessings He has given us. Suddenly, we no longer just thank God for the shoes on our feet.
During some quiet time, I couldn’t help but write down the things I was grateful for. I no longer have to look for things to be grateful for. Instead, I have always seen things that I am grateful for. I started seeing my life situations in a positive rather than a negative way. For example, if I received a rejection for a new book project, I didn’t let it get me down or despair. Rather, I viewed it with gratitude and confidence that God was saving me from something. This was not part of God’s plan, so if I want to submit to God’s plan, I must submit to what God wants in my life.
My attitude has changed in almost every area of my life. Even when I went through difficult times in the church, I chose this seat out of gratitude. Each week I was smiling and grateful for the conversations I had with so many people I love. I stopped focusing on the one area I was nervous about and focused on all the people who love us and want to celebrate us.
My attitude has changed and so has my drive to live life to the fullest. When my attitude changed, I became more satisfied with my situation and started to enjoy life. That’s because I turned my situation over to God and let Him handle it. When I decided to relinquish control and surrender to God, I felt happier and more fulfilled every day.
Photo credit: ©Ridofranz
Michelle S. Lazurek is an award-winning multi-genre author, speaker, pastor’s wife, and mother. She is a literary agent with Wordwise Media Services and host of The Spiritual Reset podcast. Her new children’s book, Hall of Faith, encourages children to understand that God can be trusted. When I’m not working, I enjoy drinking Starbucks lattes, collecting 80’s memorabilia, and spending time with my family and dog. For more information, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.
