The reason I can still find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind:
the Lord’s mercy.
Lamentations 3:21–22
Do you live by your emotions? Do you yell when you’re angry and fight back when you’re hurt? As a follower of Christ you were never meant to blindly follow your emotions. That’s what you did before you met Jesus. So why do you still get bossed around by your emotions at times instead of listening to the voice of God?
Do you bow to your emotions just out of habit or weakness? Or do you sometimes feel cheated because you didn’t get out of a situation what you thought you should have gotten? “That’s not fair!” you say. “I deserve more.” Someone didn’t do what you wanted, so you are angry. Someone didn’t give you what you thought you were going to get, so you are sad. Frustrated expectations lead you down bad emotional paths, and more often than not you follow them.
But what if you could be free from your emotions’ control and back under the control of Christ—wouldn’t your life be better? Wouldn’t your self-control improve and your emotions calm? After all, that’s what he promises: “Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). He’ll give you rest from what led you here and there, up and down. Rest from yourself.
A life completely turned over to Christ is a life where emotions complement but do not control. You have to choose who you are gonna follow, your emotions or your God. For all human beings there will be heartache, grief, and great loss, but if you’re willing to choose God, then your emotions will start to come under your control and bring depth to your life instead of misery. Like Jeremiah, you can express grief and despair, but never to the point that it distracts you from who God is and what a life lived for him ultimately means.