Rain & a Cup of Emotions

We live in a world full of emotions. They come and go like the weather patterns; sunny times, cloudy, a fresh breeze, bitter cold, and at times as a tornado with little warning. Emotions are neutral, and it has been described as the friction between two thoughts. The mightier of the thoughts will steer the emotion just as the colliding fronts in our atmosphere govern the ebb and flow of our weather maps. We look at the forecast, at best, to have an idea of what to expect, yet still find our expectations to shift without warning.

Our days are full of responsibilities that can bring about many emotions. As I was looking at the week ahead filled with the same routine, trying to make a space for “need to do” other tasks, the root word from responsibility/response sprung forth to my spirit. The letters remaining bold in my inner sight R-E-S-P-O-N-S-E Yes! There it is. We get to respond to responsibilities, to daily obligations, to the “to do” list, the mundane and even to our deluge of emotions. We can choose misery, dread, despondency over and over of what is to come until it creates a furrow leading to that pit of despair. Likewise, right now we can choose joy. Really? You might say, but not in my circumstance of _____. Yes, even that! “Consider it pure joy, rejoice when you face trials of many kinds” James 1:2 Rejoice is a verb, an action we choose. It is not a feeling, although it can affect our feelings and outlook for the betterment of our overall wellness as the physiological (brain) aligns with the soul (mind & will). As the rain drops fall, the freshness will follow. But how?

There are those times we find ourselves kneeling down into the mess this life brings. Sitting in the midst of all the broken pieces of expectations and reality, the stress of our foreboding thoughts of what is to come, the map of how I would prefer in my flesh for my forecast to be. There, the moment of decision. With knees planted on the old wooden floor; time and time again I offer the humble surrender of each and everything I try to control and make right. It is not mine to repair- It is His… Thy will be done. Then the gentle merciful rain showers us with peace that passes all understanding. As we sip from the “cup” of now, we can start to grasp and embrace all is exactly as it should be for this time in our lives. “The mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace” Roman 8:6 Oh, God…My cup runneth over with your goodness.