Price Check on Aisle Three

What classifies an emotion? Can an emotion be a positive emotion? Can an emotion be a negative emotion? Who or what classifies these emotions we have?

For example, being excited when your church is growing and thriving would be categorized as a positive emotion. Correct? Let me put a different twist on it. Being excited when your church is regressing and dying after you have been hurt, now is this emotion of excitement negative? You are justified because of your hurt. Right? Even though this emotion would be seen negative, you would still be justified in having this emotion, right?

We know emotions are embedded in our being. Yet living with these emotions and orchestrating these emotions under the lifestyle of Psalm 150:6: "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" is challenging. Challenging, to say the least, the very least.

Are we praising the Lord when our emotions are running amuck? Are we praising the Lord when we, ourselves, are in control of our emotions?

Our main Scripture used in this discussion is Ecclesiastes 3:1-13. Let's read what our Father writes.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
A time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
A time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.


Walking around the grocery store is not exactly what I call a relaxing afternoon. Now, you ask my husband what he does when he is stressed, he will tell you he goes to the grocery store and walks up and down every aisle. Every aisle.

The difference between him and me? About one hundred-sixty pounds. In the form of three little boys that is.

Him going to the store is just that, him going to the store. Me going to the store is me along with three "helpful" boys. Never the less, he finds great relaxation walking up and down the aisles.

Picture yourself walking up and down the grocery aisles. Instead of boxes of low-calorie, high energy breakfast cereals, you find boxes of laughter and bags of dancing. The cans of multi-vitamin soups are now replaced with weeping and mourning. You navigate your way through the grocery store of life and you are surrounded with all the emotions that go with it. Negative and positive.

Is your heart pounding? Is it racing? Are your palms sweaty?

What emotion do you pick? What emotion do you allow yourself to open and set loose? What emotion do you take with you and hold close?

Suddenly, a pleasant chime goes off over the loud speaker and an encouraging and loving voice starts speaking. "Precious Daughter, there is a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones. Now is the time to gather. Go to aisle four and pick up three boxes of laughter and then go to aisle ten and pick up two packages of love. Enjoy your day Dear One."

Or.

What if the same encouraging and loving voice starts speaking and says, "Dear One, there is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together. Now is the time for tearing apart. But it is going to be alright, I am here with you. Go to aisle two and pick up four containers of weeping and then go to aisle six and get one large package of embrace. I promise I will get you through this. Now, go My Daughter." What if?

But we don't have that. Or do we?

Dear One, life is hard. You don't need to read that on a website or on a newspaper to believe it. Along with the challenges that makeup this adventure we call life, we as women like to throw in the emotion factor! We have a knack, let me correct that, we have mastered the art of justifying our emotions to go alongside the challenge of life. Tell me if you can relate to this one.

Someone said some nasty, terrible things to your husband. That's alright, jump over to aisle three and pick up four cans of bitterness. Now, don't worry about the price and the damaging effects of it, they are on special this week!

Or how about this one.

A friend stops calling. No more texts. No more emails. The laughter has ceased. Don't worry. Go to aisle seven and pick up isolation. There is even a bargain this week! With every bag of isolation, you receive five bricks free to put around your heart. No sense in letting anyone else in. They are going to do it to you when they get the opportunity.

Sound familiar?

You see, the last two examples are not of God. There is clearly a time to weep. Clearly a time to be hurt. Yet, Dear Friend, the time and the outlet of the weeping and hurting must be orchestrated by God.

How?

Read verses 9-13 of our main text:

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. he has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil -- this is the gift of God.

God has given us tasks. These tasks are eternal-minded and these tasks if done in God's design, are a true gift of God.

Did you catch that? A gift of God.

Powerful words to follow precious verses of:
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time for war and a time for peace.

A gift of God.

Want to receive a gift of God?

Listen to His loving and encouraging voice to guide you through this thing we call life. He can and will keep your emotions in check.