I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster here lately. Days I’ve felt better than ever. Then there were those days that felt as if the bottom fell out of everything in my world. Sometimes I’ve experienced both sides of the spectrum in one day, along with many more. It all feels so unstable when I’m toying with the seesaw of emotions. It feels wonderful at the top, but anything far from that at the bottom. Flying high one minute. Then crashing into the ground the very next.

God blessed us with the gift of emotions. In order to experience the good ones, then we will have times that we experience the bad ones. It’s from the ones that we don’t like that we truly are able to enjoy the best of the best. How would we truly know happiness without sometimes experiencing sadness? They are a gauge to keep us in check. If something is off emotionally, then we know that we must look a little bit deeper. Emotions are the symptom of what’s really going on with us. Sometimes there is a bigger problem at stake. No one else may know what’s going on, but we do when we examine the real us.

There are times we must get away in the middle of the chaotic emotions. Spending some time just for us. When the pressure cooker lid is about to blow, then we must take this extremely serious. Much damage to others can come from our unwillingness to pay attention to what is really going on inside. Go for a walk. Spend time at a park. Watch a movie. Listen to music. Read. Laugh. Anything to pour into yourself. Invest in your emotional well being. This is an investment with a great return.

So often we despise these unsteady times. We just want it to be calm and smooth sailing, but that isn’t reality. We don’t live in a vacuum. Life is going to happen to the best of us no matter how hard we try to not let it. In the midst of what seems so uncertain, it’s okay to feel every emotion. In fact, suppressing them only makes it worse later. Feel every bit of the not so good emotions, then let them go. Don’t keep it all bottled up. Share what you are going through with a trusted friend or family member. This is a huge key to your healing and being able to move beyond it all.

So on my not so good days, I made it through. At first, it didn’t feel as if I would, but with God’s help and lots of work I did. It wasn’t always pretty or felt comfortable, but I made it through to the other side. Those negative emotions soon passed and turned into the emotions that made all of the bad ones worth it. To experience happiness again after a small season of sadness made it that much sweeter. It felt like a breath of fresh air.

Then the cycle starts all over again. I’m going to face it, but this time I know how to deal with it all. I’m not blindsided. I’m armed, loaded, and prepared to get through this. The good thing is that I’m not facing any of this on my own. God is helping me through every bit of it. Just knowing that I’m not alone helps to encourage me to get up one more time and try again. I can wade through the darkness of these emotions because He’s pointing me towards the light. He’s staying right with me carrying me when I think I can’t go another step. I’m not traveling alone, and I am so glad.

The emotional battle. We all fight it, but we have the ability to win it. Not because of our ammunition, but because of the spiritual ammunition that we bring into it. The truth. The promises. The comforting presence of The Holy Spirit. That’s what it takes to see a victory. And yes, sweet child, you will see the victory.