Fallen Emotions? Understanding Emotions

This is my final blog post underneath the broad header of fallen emotions. Note, I use that term in the title with a question mark because I do not believe there is anything of the sort taught to us in Scripture, unless one is referring to the misuse of our emotions after the fall. Emotions, however, are created by God for a purpose, and we are to use them for that correct purpose rather than misuse them.

I find an illustration of emotions as being like warning lights on a car most helpful for me. I was driving the other day and my low tire light came on in my car. I could have panicked, pulled over immediately, called a tow truck, insisted they put all new four tires on, just to be on the safe side, but that would have been the wrong reaction. Instead, the car was still driving fine, so I got home and checked the tire pressure and found a couple of tires a bit low. I turned on the compressor, filled them up to where they should be, the tire light went off, and I continued using my car as needed. Now, if the tire light came on and my car started to get extremely noisy and drive roughly, I would have taken a different action.

The point is that the tire light is just a light, a warning light, telling me that a sensor is finding something that is not right in the tire. The light itself, however, is not a good indicator of exactly what is wrong, how severe it is, or what needs to be done to correct it. Instead, what is required is further thought, further investigation, further wisdom. To use a different light, say a check engine light, one would be foolish to replace the engine right away just because that light came on, but one would also be foolish to ignore the light hoping it goes away. The correct reaction is not to panic nor to completely ignore the light but to find out more information and make wise decisions out of that information.

The correct reaction is not to panic nor to completely ignore the light but to find out more information and make wise decisions out of that information.

This is how our emotions were designed to work, including what some have termed as fallen emotions. I remember years ago driving in Colorado on a road that was narrow and very high up after dark. In my gut, there was some fear rising up in me that caused me to be cautious. Now, I could have ignored that feeling and hit the accelerator recklessly, I could have also given in completely to that fear and stopped the car and refused to move, however, neither of those was the correct decision. Instead, I continued at a pace that was reasonable, and that feeling in my gut, that warning light, let me know that if I was not careful, we could be in trouble. I responded to that emotion of fear with information that let me know it was not unsafe to continue, but it was unsafe to continue without being careful.

Anxiety works in a similar manner. I have known people who have been in an abusive home who always had anxiety in their home. That feeling in their gut was a warning light that something was not correct, that they were in a situation that was unhealthy and potentially dangerous. I have known some who ignored that warning and then became used to being abused and thought it was normal. There are others who reacted to that anxiety without thought and ended up in more trouble in the end than they had previously. The right move, if there is not immediate danger (if there is, get to safety and dial 911), is to evaluate and take wise steps based on the reality of information.

The right move...is to evaluate and take wise steps based on the reality of information.

It is interesting, where we see the command to not be anxious in Philippians 4:6, that just two verses later, Paul says this, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is dignified, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, consider these things” (Philippians 4:8, Legacy Standard Bible). Paul begins the list with what is true, and ultimately, when our warning lights go off, whether it is the light of fear, anxiety, sorrow or anger, we ought to first concentrate on what is true. Often times our lights go off, but spending a little time evaluating what is true will prove to us that the light is going off, not because we are in danger, but because our focus has gotten off from reality.

What I mean is this, I said in an earlier post that we cannot control how we feel in our gut, that is true, but we must make sure we are not creating those feelings based on false pretenses. For example, someone might get anxious because they feel they are not going to be able to afford all of their bills, but if they examined their income versus their expenses they might see they have plenty. Their anxiety is built up out of falsehood, not truth, and that type of anxiety to some degree can be controlled, by thinking about what is true...by renewing our minds. I would say the same about the other things Paul calls us to, the dignified, right, pure, lovely, and commendable, if we focus on those things as a pattern, our warning lights are more likely to only go off when there is a legitimate reason for them to go off.

...if we focus on those things as a pattern, our warning lights are more likely to only go off when there is a legitimate reason for them to go off.

The point I am driving at is this, that we misuse our emotions when we allow them to rule us or cause us to respond wrongly. As Christians, it is not that we are called to be emotionless or to stop feeling these things, rather we are called to respond properly, thoughtfully, in truth, and take control of our lives and our emotions by the renewing of our mind. If you need help with that, we do offer Biblical counseling to help at our church. There is nothing wrong with seeking help when we struggle with responding well to our emotions, in fact, it is very right to do so.

In conclusion, then, do not buy the myth of fallen emotions and let that heap guilt upon you for how you feel, but evaluate those feelings through the lens of truth, through God’s Word, and then respond as God would desire for you to respond.