HOW DO YOU SEPARATE PASSION FROM EMOTION?

If you have read anything I have put on Facebook the last couple of days, you know I am reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. This is, of course, if you ignore my reference to the Gas-X commercial last night, but honestly, the line "the skunk has left the barn" still has me laughing. Anyway, Bonhoeffer...love it and I am only on page 198 of a 500+ page book.
What intrigues me most is how it appears Bonhoeffer was so deeply passionate about his relationship with Christ and his convictions about the church, yet at this stage, seems to be able to keep his emotions in check when debating with others. Over and over again, Metaxas cites friends and colleagues of Bonhoeffer stating how well he listened to others. How he calmly debated with his dissenters, never forgetting to respect and esteem the other person's right to their own point of view. He may not have agreed with it, he most certainly tried to point them in the direction of Christ, but it appears (so far) that he never did so by belittling their point or giving over to animosity and anger.
That impresses me.
Call it my X chromosome, call it hormones, call it just being a girl, call it my desire to be right, but there have been many times when my passion and my emotions got tangled up in a big old mess. Especially when it comes to the church. Animosity and anger have been my cohorts more times that I want to admit. Instead of calmly debating and pointing to Christ, I have often found myself thinking (and most likely saying),
Are you kidding me? How could you possibly think that is right? Do you even read your Bible?
Mix that with tears, red faces, and loud voices and that is a little cocktail the enemy is glad to serve up.
You know who gets the brunt of it? Other Christians.
Yep - I tend to have a whole lot more patience for the unbeliever than I do for my brother and sisters in Christ. Is it right? No. Is it true? Sadly - yes.
As I am reading the book, and the accounts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life, I have caught myself admiring how Christ like he lived. Now it may all turn south before I am done, but in these 198 pages this has been my observation. How he took teaching the word of God to ANYONE seriously. How he discipled others and not just the I teach a class on Sunday morning, I lead a small group, I stand on the platform kinda way. He discipled them. He got into their messy lives with them. He corrected them. He challenged them. He loved them. He gave them hope.
While in private his emotions may have run the gamut, it seems publicly they did not get the better of him, and I can't help but think that is how Christ would have done it. It is how He does it. His emotions never got Him. Was His passion evident? You bet! It never gave way to His human emotions though.
So while I am impressed with Bonhoeffer's life, I am also challenged to see that same fruit in my own. It was nothing that Bonhoeffer did of himself, but a fruit of the Holy Spirit's work in him. The same Holy Spirit that lives in me. It is possible for me to keep my passion and my emotions separate. With Christ Jesus, it is.
What about you? Do you have a good reign on your emotions? Are you able to keep you passion and your emotions in check? When, and if, you don't sometimes who usually catches it? Are you more patient with believers than unbelievers?
You can comment anonymously. We can let the blogosphere think it's just me who struggles. I'm okay with that....wink wink.

'SUP?

Well, what have we been doing? A list is in order:
1. Spring Break
HH had to be out of town so the boys and I were left to our own devices. We had a doctor appt,. and ortho appt., two dentist's appts., and that got us to Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday we spent at home. Friday we went to see The Lorax. In 3-D. Then I sold a kidney to reimburse our bank account after that little trip.
Y'all know I am joking....I still have two.
2. School
Then we had to go back. This week is state testing. Some tests count (like Mc 1's) and some don't (like the test I have been giving some very disgruntled juniors for the past two days).
3. FPU
It will merit a blog post all it's own, but I will say things are going in the right direction. Not great yet, but the right direction. HH and I seem to be getting on the same page.

Now I am too tired to think of anything else. Hope you are having a great week!

FPU - WEEK 6

Well, you will be glad to know I did not cry. Or maybe you're not. I was.
This week was about buying and not buying and waiting to buy. Honestly, that is not an area I struggle with a great deal. I am not a big shopper. However, I am sure there have been times when the sales pitch drew me in and stole my money. After listening to our group discussion, I realize am not alone. One participant told a story of buying a vacuum cleaner. He said no several times but then the salesman demonstrated somethings cool and he was in. It was only after he finished his story that he informed us he had tile floors, and had no need of new vacuum. You will be glad to know he returned it the next day.
The entire point was to obtain power over your purchasing. Sleep on big purchases overnight. Make sure you know and understand what it is you are buying. Talk it out with your spouse/accountability partner.
In two words-
GROW UP.
Stop giving in to the part of your flesh that demands you have what you want, when you want it, and how you want it. Show some maturity. As Paul would say, get off the milk and onto some solid food.

SWEET SLEEP

The MCs still request that their mama lay down with them at night. Call them spoiled. Call them soft. I don't care. I have a small window when this opportunity will be before me, so, when possible, I do. Last night, as I watched MC 2's anxious face relax and him quickly drift off to sleep, I couldn't help think how nice it must be, and must have been as a kid myself, to have that. To have that feeling of security, knowing you will be protected. To have that sense of comfort, knowing you are loved. To have that physical contact, creature comfort my mama calls it, knowing you are not alone. To just be able to breathe deeply, close you eyes, and rest.
As an adult, sleepless nights sometime find me. My anxious face does not relax. I fight to close my eyes and keep them that way. My mind drifts, not to sleep, but to places of fear, worry and at times torment. It is on nights like those I am so grateful the word of God.

Psalm 4:8 (NKJV)
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

I have blogged about it before. It is a life verse for me. It is one I stand my ground on.While I can't physically touch God or Christ; the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is abiding with and in me, allowing me to know that I am protected, to know that I am loved, and to know I am not alone.
You can know this, too.
If you don't know Christ Jesus, you can.
You can sleep.
You can lie down in peace.
You can know He makes you dwell in safety.
No fancy speeches needed.
No big altar.
All He needs is a heart surrendered and submitted to Him.
All you need to do is choose.
He has chosen you.

THE SILENT TREATMENT

Are you and I using what we hear?

FPU - WEEK OFF

Therapy was cancelled for the week due to Spring Break. Which is good because I needed time to catch up on all the homework I had not done. Yesterday, I tackled the budget. As I was crunching the numbers I had to keep reminding myself ,

It will not be perfect the first time...

It is not going to be pretty the first time...

It won't even work the first time.

All I can tell you is that is was a good thing I had already made up my mind to stay home or there might have been some major liquidation going on at the local pawn shop.

Having spent Monday at the doctor's office and the orthodontist's place,

and Tuesday at the dentist's (twice - same child - TWICE),

I didn't have the energy to load it all up and haul it all off.

Now that the budget is done, I do feel a bit better. Still have the debt snowball form to tackle, but that will be later today. Or maybe tomorrow. Scarlett O'Hara may very well resume her role as my financial advisor.

I can't think about that right now.

If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.

Clearly that thinking has served me well in the past.

PIGGY BACKING OFF OF YESTERDAY...

Sometimes this is the problem.

They were reaching for the glory without a willingness to endure the prerequisite sufferings. (footnote from Matthew 20:20-24)

Sometimes I want the glory without the suffering. Like I want to be debt free, but I am not so crazy about doing the paperwork (as evidenced by the fact that I still haven't). I really want to be healthier, and smaller, but I am not burning up the treadmill.

I don't know what others have gone through, what prerequisite sufferings God had for them to prepare them for leadership. I don't see the ones He has for them in the future to mature them. Knowing what they were or will be, I may not be so eager to sign up for leadership roles. I may not want to be favored by men. I may not want to be BFFs with her.

It goes back to yesterday's point - He chooses.

When He chooses I am ready, He will place me where He wants me.

My choice will be to wait on and in Him.

When the insecurities rage, wait.

When the prerequisite sufferings come, wait.

When presented opportunities that flatter my flesh, wait.

When feeling alone, overlooked, and unlikeable, wait.

Wait in the confidence of who I am in Christ.

Wait in the security of His word.

Wait in the peace of His love.

No one can wait for me.

I choose.

No one can wait for you.

You choose.

May we both choose Jesus.

He has chosen us.