Chart

My co-worker-and dear, dear friend-and I like to sit down and 'figure out' life. We like to have a seat on her massage table, discuss the emotions of the day, and weave and maneuver our way through them. We do this because we are incredibly emotional, incredibly intuitive, and incredibly spiritual. I am spiritual in the way that I worship and follow God. I look to Him as my Father and Teacher. I seek Him for answers and help and love. I try my best to live in the spiritual realm, to see what is beyond this earth and beyond today, and see what is set above, already planned, and destined by Him. She is spiritual in the way that she believes she has a Creator who has a path marked and prepared, who can lead her and reveal things to her, and to whom she prays to and seeks daily.

God; Creator. Tomato; Tomahto.

Just because she has not decided on a specific creator, does not mean we are so different. In fact, I love discussing our spirituality together because it is so similar. Her and I have the same heart and the same soul and the same Creator. We just call Him different names and have a few different ideas.

Today, as we plucked out our emotions and laid them on the table, I came across an interesting-and albeit helpful-discovery. I say this lightly because I know that these things that come into my heart or mind, and these discoveries and ideas I come up with, are not my own at all. They are what the Holy Spirit is feeding me. They are what keep me growing and learning and leaning into my God. I cannot and will not take credit for the words I write or the things I learn; I know they are a gift and I am just a messenger.

Without a PhD or an 'Emotions for Dummies', out came the words, "Let's write down these emotions. We will put the negative ones on the left, and the positive ones on the right."

And we did. Fear went on the left, and caution went on the right.

Fear, I reminded her, is a negative emotion. It does not bring light; it does not come from light. It does not empower or encourage, it discourages and drowns.

"It does not come from love," she said.

No, sweet girl, it doesn't.

Caution, however, can be an emotion warning us of a stumbling block or danger. It can keep us alert, but does not hold us back. It keeps our eyes ahead. Caution can help us to guide our lives and others. Caution comes from a leader who loves us.

And so, we went on; placing negative, awful emotions on the left and the positive ones on the right and emotions from darkness on the left, and emotions from light and truth on the right.

Emotions that come from love-and there are many, many great emotions-all were placed neatly, happily on the right.

A simple exercise, that came out of the blue, reminded me that following your heart can be positive. Especially when it is flourishing from love and happiness; especially when it is in tune with God's voice and His calling. But I also know that we have emotions that can trick our heart and emotions that can encourage it. God gave us the emotions that He has and emotions that delight Him; because we were created in His image. He wants us to feel and he wants us to experience life in amazing ways. Looking at these emotions on a chart, reminded me of the things He wants me to feel, and the things He says I don't have to feel. He takes them and carries them for me. Who else would do that for me? Must be Love.

So, my dear, sweet, co-worker and friend, you say Creator, I say God. But you also say that your emotions came from love. And whatdoya know, God is love.

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