Have you ever wanted to run your life on an even keel? Not be so obsessed with the great moments and or not be overly obsessed and disappointed with the challenging touch moments? Stay with me. I have a great tool for you.
How Are You Navigating Life?
I’ve been thinking lately about the highs and lows of life. It’s inevitable! You seem to be on the top of the world, you’ve reached some milestone that you’ve set out to accomplish and you reach it and “bam.” The next thing you know the bottom has dropped out in some other area of life. Life is so unpredictable! It’s literally a roller coaster.
So, how are you handling your emotions? We all experience this, whether it’s our work, our marriage, our parenting, or our friendships. The rollercoaster of our emotions. Today, I am going to ask you for some introspection and some intentional action. Where are you putting our trust? Where are you creating your identity? I believe most people are living their life on an emotional rollercoaster! What is your solution for dealing with the highs and lows? Would you like a tried-and-true solution that has been a game changer for my life?
I’m going to share a concept I learned many years ago that addresses this issue. Navigating our emotions! Here it is. I want you to imagine a sine wave, which is a wavy line that goes up and down. In this illustration this curve represents our emotions. Sometimes we feel really happy and excited, and other times we might feel sad or stressed.
Now, think about a straight line that runs through the middle of that wavy line. This straight line represents important truths or beliefs we have—our foundation. These are the constants! Our certainty. The facts.
In the Bible, Jesus talks about people who are like reeds swaying in the wind. These people are easily influenced, and their emotions can swing wildly, just like a big sine curve.
But here’s the good news: When we focus on that straight line, our important truths, something amazing happens. The wavy line representing our emotions starts to calm down. Instead of having huge ups and downs, our emotions become more stable and balanced.
So, the more we concentrate on our foundation of truths, the less our emotions will swing dramatically. This helps us feel steadier and more peaceful, even when life gets challenging.
I’d like to share with you three powerful biblical truths that can serve as an unshakeable foundation for your life and that has become the foundation of mine. By embracing and internalizing these truths, you can step off the emotional roller coaster that may be controlling your daily experiences. These foundational principles have the power to stabilize your emotions and provide a steady anchor, even in life’s most challenging moments:
1. Our worth is constant as children of God: Our value doesn’t fluctuate based on our performance or other people’s opinions. Ephesians 1:5 reminds us, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.” This unchanging status as God’s children provides a stable foundation for our self-worth.
2. God’s love for us is unconditional and eternal: Romans 8:38-39 assures us that nothing can separate us from God’s love. This truth helps us remain emotionally steady, knowing we are always loved, regardless of circumstances or feelings.
3. God is in control, even when life seems chaotic: Proverbs 19:21 states, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Understanding that God is sovereign over all situations can bring peace and emotional stability, even in uncertain times.
These truths, when deeply rooted in our hearts and minds, can serve as anchors for our emotions, helping us maintain a more balanced emotional state regardless of our external circumstances.
I believe, right now, this is a truth someone needs to hear!
Let me take you on a little detour here. Let’s talk about how we gain a deeper understanding of biblical truths and deepen our faith! We must spend time reading God’s word. I share this all the time. If you will put this one habit in your life, it will change your life. Commit the first 10 minutes of your morning, before you get on social media, to these two things. Download the Abide app, it is a free bible meditation tool. And download the Our Daily Bread app—which is also free. When you grab that cup of coffee, click on the Abide app and listen to the 2 minute morning meditation for the day. Next click on Our Daily Bread app and read the story and the scripture for that day. Think on it! This is part of the process of renewing your mind. In a prayer journal or notebook, write down what you are thankful for. Write down where you need God’s help and ask God to show you who he is and teach you. Ask him to give you the discipline and desire to know him better. This will begin your morning with truth. God’s unchanging truth. You are building a foundation. This is crucial!
Spiritual Fitness
This may sound so basic, but most people want to read the Bible, grow their faith and deepen their relationship, but they make it bigger than it needs to be. I believe you should start small. Over time you may want to do more. It’s like people wanting to go the gym to be fit. And they make it bigger than it needs to be. The process of getting in shape could start out as simple as walking around the block, then the neighborhood, that goes well than, maybe, joining a local gym nearby, add weight training, or aerobics. You start out with small daily habits. That will improve your physical fitness but what I’m talking about here is our emotional fitness or, another name I think it should be called is, spiritual fitness. Ok, back to the topic!
Have you ever heard the phrase where your focus goes, energy flows? When we are on an emotional roller coaster our mind focuses on all the changing circumstances. We put ourselves in such a state of overwhelm; being pushed and pulled by our emotions—which eventually leads to overwhelm and indecision. We become an emotional mess; emotionally exhausted. This tool, this illustration I am sharing, is powerful. It can ground you and put things back into perspective. This illustration will give you a more balanced and stable emotional life.
So, get out that journal or a notebook and I want you to write out this illustration. This is your call to action! It is simple, but it is powerful!.
Draw a wavy line across the paper. Now, draw a straight line through the wavy line. At the peak of the wavy line, write your feel-good emotions like excited, happy, thrilled and below the wavy lines on the bottom I want you to write your stressful emotions: sad, depressed, un-happy, lost. Now out to the side I want you to write these three facts:
God gives me inherit unearned value! Ephesians 1:5
God loves me eternal and unconditional! Roman 8: 38-39
God’s sovereign control! Proverbs 19:21
Now, when you find yourself riding these waves of emotion, experiencing really high highs or really low lows I want you to look at this illustration, focus on the unchanging facts.
I learned this concept back in my early 20’s and I have used it throughout my lifetime.
I used this tool and my morning routine to get me through a very challenging time in my life. I was a Christian, not married, and in a high-profile job selling commercial real estate in Dallas with millions of dollars’ worth of real estate displayed in a showroom. I had landed a job with the FADA, the Federal Asset Disposition Association—who at the time had taken over all the commercial real estate from the failing S &L’s—and our job was to get these properties sold. During this time, I found out that I was pregnant. Remember, I’m single, I was 29 and pregnant! You want to talk about an emotional roller coaster. I used this powerful tool and the morning routine I’m sharing with you. They not only strengthened my faith, they brought me through an incredible challenging and beautiful time in my life. I saw God perform miracles! I’m telling you this tool is simple but powerful.
If you find yourself on a constant emotional roller coaster, these are the actions steps I suggest. Create this illustration tool for yourself! Put it somewhere you will see it and review it. Commit to 10 minutes in the morning getting into God’s word and starting your morning with prayer. If you’re thinking of a friend who could use this, share it with them. I’d love to how any of these posts have made a difference for you.
Monette hosts a weekly podcast: Mornings with Monette. She has been a lifelong learner and and appreciates the opportunity to share what she has learned–both through her podcast and here at The Best-Life Project (based on the content of her weekly podcast). Her messages are raw, honest and straight from the heart. She lives in Albuquerque, NM with her husband Leland. They have three adult children and are enjoying living their best lives filled with travel and adventure.
Love this illustration. Thanks for sharing!