“Our life
experiences begin to shape patterns in our minds that control the way we react
to life’s situations. The way we react builds patterns that shape our emotions.
It is quite easy for human beings to begin to live their lives from emotion instead
of principle.” From the book Pursuing
Peace
The
mental patterns that we develop over time are going to influence deeply the way
that we react to situations in life and the way we feel about those situations.
Once these patterns go deeply enough to affect our souls they will affect the
way we feel from hour-to-hour--whether there is any real situation going on or
not. Look at it this way, your emotions and your soul work together. If your
soul is at rest then your emotions will be calm and peaceful. You will walk
through life with a pleasant mood and your attitude about life will be
positive. However, if your soul is in
distress, then your emotions will flail about like a fish out of water. That is
no way to live life.
Patterns,
patterns, patters. We all have them. Nothing chaps me more than to walk to the
coffee maker in the morning and see that it is not ready to give me my morning
cup of Joe. But I have a pattern so my coffee gets prepared every evening
before I go to bed. That healthy pattern ensures that my early morning emotions are positive. I get to the coffee pot and it speaks softly to me with
words of love and encouragement, “Good morning Jason, it’s going to be a great
day, here is your Joe.” I also have another morning pattern. When I get to
work, I like to start my morning by gathering my thoughts and organizing my
work day. But I have to shut the door to my office to do that. If I don’t,
people will start coming in to say “good morning,” to chit chat, to tell me
about company problems, etc. I’ll go from bliss to extreme irritation in
seconds. I used to forget to shut the door, but I have developed a pattern to
make sure I do. The pattern ensures that I keep my soul at rest and my emotions
at ease.
The
reverse is also true. If there are things that we do which promote unhealthy
emotions then we can develop unhealthy patterns. We create an unseen switch
that “sets off” those bad emotions. If I intentionally smash my finger in the
door every day then after a week or so my brain will begin to develop an
emotional pattern for doors. My heart rate is going to spike and my chest will
get tight from the release of stress hormones every time I get around a door. If
I do this every morning when I get up then it may start to happen when my alarm
goes off. If I do it every evening before bed then I might start having dreams
about it. But if I exchange the door with a prayer or a thought about how God’s
Word says he has a plan for my life for good and not for evil then my whole
pattern becomes a calmer-of-emotions instead of a stress builder.
The
mind is powerful. YOUR mind is powerful. It is powerful enough to change the
way you first respond to situations in life and ultimately how you feel. God
blessed you with a powerful brain and a choice in how to use it. He says that
you can be at peace in the midst of crisis. You can be happy in the midst of
turmoil. You can have faith in God when all seems lost. To get there, you’ve
got to correct your bad patterns with godly patterns. Make a list of those
things that quickly make your brain send your emotions downward and start
injecting godly things which send your emotions upward. Give some effort to
that practice and you’ll begin to see your stress drop and your faith in the
Lord increase. And when your soul begins to settle down and get quiet then you
will begin to “hear” the Holy Spirit speak to you. That’s when the magic of
life begins to happen.
“But I have
calmed and quieted myself…” Psalm 131:2 NIV
“Yes, my soul,
find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 62:5-6 NIV
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