Attitudes

   "Your eye is like a lamp that provides light to your body. Whey your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness." Matthew 6:22-23

  Mrs. Hummingbird visited the garden shower again last night. I called my friend out so she could see her, too! It makes me wonder if Mama bird has a nest nearby and hears the hose running. She arrived a few bare minutes after I aimed the spray at the veggies. It gave me as big a smile as the last time. I feel honoured by this little gift of a wee bird's trust. 

  It's too early to go outside and work in the gardens. My weed eater died. Its replacement is waiting to tackle the long grass that's growing where the lawn mower can't reach. The neighbours wouldn't appreciate me firing it up this early. There hasn't been time to tackle the long grass which makes the place look shaggy and uncared for. I'll have to go out before it gets too hot all the same but right now, this is what I need to be doing.

  The ribbon marker in my Bible is left at the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes are a favorite go to for the comforting reassurance of Jesus' love when life throws a curve ball my way and the emotions run deep. 

  As I titled this post, a play on words around these beautiful verses leapt to mind: Be Attitudes.

  Emotions form the lens of how we interact with the world and the people in it. Ok. Got it. Understand it. This will be easy to be mindful of.

  Hah!

  Half the time I am utterly unaware of the emotional undercurrents that shape how I treat others. No, it's more than half. It's most of the time.

  Why am I so oblivious? Now that's a loaded question!

  North American culture is notorious for squashing emotions. The "ugly" ones like sadness, grief, or heartbreak have no place in polite society. This creates bigger issues around unexpressed feelings. Anything that is locked up or locked down will eventually need to be released whether we want it to or not. Worse, they will find their way out in decidedly unhealthy ways like addictions, uncontrollable rage, or self harm.

  Depression isn't just being really sad for a long time. I firmly believe depression happens because of the denial of self expression and bottled up emotions. In a post Covid world, there's more people than ever seeking help for depression and anxiety. As a society, we need to learn the skills that have been denied us from childhood.

  I hear the term "emotional regulation" frequently when it comes to teaching children. It's not about regulating or ruling over our feelings. It's finding ways to express them in a healthy manner. 

  Before we can start doing this, we need to learn to identify feelings.  We can't identify what we are feeling if we don't feel them!

  Things might get complicated because human beings are complicated. 

  If it was easy, we wouldn't need Jesus.

  Let's talk bitterness. It can make us rude, uncaring, selfish, and judgmental. Worst of all, it can leave us feeling hopeless and alone. It feeds itself by driving others away. It's a self perpetuating pit of despair.  Ephesians 4:31 commands us to get rid of all bitterness, but how?

  Bitterness doesn't happen overnight, it builds in layer after layer of hurt, pain, disappointment and resentment. Each of these are firmly rooted in anger, the most complex of all our emotions. 

  There is a ton of information available online exploring anger so I won't get into it here.

   

  It takes time to become educated about a subject as complex and marvelous as human emotions. They are a gift from God, even the bad ones. Without them, we wouldn't recognize our need for Him!      

  Emotions are not good or bad in and of themselves. They simply are part of what makes us human. I've realized over the years that one of my greatest sins was denying them because by doing so I was being less than honest with myself and later, Jesus.

  Be Attitude for today is be honest. Take a look at what's stopping you from living in the joy and peace God wants to give you. If you need support, find a counsellor, a pastor or a friend who can help. Write, draw, research, pray and trust in the process of discovery: the evolution of a new Be-ing.