Emotions
in Motion
How emotional are you? My kids give me a hard time because I tear up
at movies. I admit it, I enjoy
experiencing the full gamut of emotions, especially joy to the point of tears. Even so, I firmly believe that important
decisions should be made as separate from the influence of emotion as possible. For that reason, I loved last night’s service
at the youth camp I am at this week.
Ben, this week’s main speaker,
explained his topic well. He showed
scriptures that supported what he was saying and brought his message down to
the point where he asked the students to make a decision. Then he did something unique.
In our denomination and others like
it, it is common to bring services to an emotional peak where people will make
decisions amid music and tears. It can
be an experience to remember. Last
night, Ben asked the worship band not to play while students made decisions. He did not want their decisions based on hype. I am certain that those decisions were a
result of Holy Spirit prompting and student’s responding with their minds fully
engaged. As a result, I believe that
those choices will follow them the rest of their lives, not just until they
get home.
This does not just apply to spiritual matters. My wife and I recently looked at a
new home. It was beautiful and in a
great location. That evening, we were
dreaming of what life could be like there.
Still, we knew that we had to give ourselves time to consider all the
implications. We did not buy that house. It will go to someone else who will enjoy its
beauty and comfort. And we are confident
that we are better off for making the decision to pass it up.
Do you jump into things because
they feel good? Do you avoid things
because they might hurt? Would it make a
difference if we made decisions based on facts instead of emotion? Give it a try. I’ll bet that would be a good decision.
Read Judges 11:29-34
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