Moods

LOVE: THE MOOD STABILIZER

A characteristic of immaturity is vulnerability to feelings. An immature person acts as he feels. If he is angry, he blows up. If he is tired, he will not work. If he is upset, he pouts. If he desires something, he will violate the principles of righteousness to get it. A mature person is steadfast, unswerving, resolute, unfaltering. He is not unfeeling, in fact he is aware of his feelings, and can express them appropriately; but he does not act on them if it is not beneficial to do so. You can rely on him to respond in a manner that promotes the common good, no matter the situation, and no matter his mood. Jesus, as indicated by the above verses, experienced the full range of human emotion, from lethal sorrow to rapturous joy. But His actions were not determined by His feelings. Rather He acted always out of love. And He commands us to act always out of this same motive. Living by the principle of love stabilizes us. It gets us off the emotional roller coaster that makes life so difficult for us and our loved ones. When we are depressed, we can love. When we are elated, we can love. If we are tired, upset, angry, frustrated, disheartened or fearful; we can love. The important thing in life is not how we feel. When we come before God in the Judgment, He will not decide our fate based on how happy or unhappy we have been. We will be judged on how well we have loved, regardless of how we have felt. In fact, the best feelings come as a by-product of choosing, over and over, to live in the love of Christ. This is the pathway to joy. On the other hand, the most miserable people you will meet are those who are living for and by their feelings. And they make life more difficult for others also.

by Mark Graham