Okay, girls, almost there! Today we will study the third idol we are prone to as women: the idol of emotion. This manifests itself when an emotion becomes the driving force behind our lives. Examples would be: loneliness, anger, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, envy, hatred, sorrow, happiness, euphoria, comfort, nostalgia.
Let me elaborate on this definition. Do you remember the question from the very first day’s Q&A: “Analyze your most uncontrollable emotions, especially those that are most painful. Do they drive you to do things you know are wrong?” Often times we have a tendency to allow our emotions to become idols. When emotions go unconfessed they can fester into emotional idols. Emotions like anger when unconfessed can fester into revenge or bitterness can eventually lead to hatred. Emotions like envy when unconfessed can lead to covetousness and so on.
Have you ever come across someone who is angry? You may not even have anything to do with the real reason behind their anger but you just happen to be the target for the moment. When we allow emotions to become idols they eat away at us and eventually take over our lives.
Last year about this time there was a blog series that dealt with forgiveness and the sin of holding onto a past hurt. This is an example of idolizing emotions. When we take things that have happened to us in the past and continue to use them as excuses for the future then we can be sure we are taken up with an idol. We have allowed that circumstance to keep us from future blessing and obedience and ladies, this is sin!
Remember when we talked about flourishing or thriving? What was the verse? Proverbs 28:13, “She who conceals sin will not prosper (flourish or thrive). This is exactly what this verse is talking about! Hidden and unconfessed sin will keep us from experiencing the fullness of God’s blessing.
So we have established that negative emotions like sorrow, loneliness, jealousy, envy and resentment, if not confessed will be our idol. There are certain things that serve as good indicators of emotional idolatry. The first indicator is if you are always telling yourself, “No one understands how I feel, they just don’t understand - they don’t know what it’s like to be me!” A second indicator is a desire or actually going so far as to only identify with other people who share the same emotional idol! Be very wary when you get to this point because likely you have isolated yourself and made your emotion, whatever it is, your God.
Does the name Wanda Webb Holloway mean anything to you? Probably not. Until I say, “The Texas cheerleader Mom”. Wanda Holloway’s daughter, Shanna, didn’t make the JUNIOR HIGH cheerleading squad. Wanda was so angry over her daughter’s loss that she hired a hitman to murder the mother of cheerleading rival in hopes that the girl would be so distraught that she would quit the squad thereby giving Shanna an opportunity.
Wow! In reading the details the story sounds so extreme. However, I would chance to say that Wanda Holloway was a normal mother who, prior to the incident with her daughter, would have said that this story was extreme as well. This is a prime example of how emotions when unconfessed can cause us to act out in ways that are out of character and often evil.
So, I think we understand how anger can spiral out of control but what about other emotions. I want to give one other example before we move on. My father-in-law passed away in February of 2012. My mother-in-law immediately found herself thrust into a life alone after fifty three years of marriage. Her response out of her grief could have caused her to turn inward, isolate herself and fall into despair. She could had chosen to exclude herself from anyone that couldn’t identify with her loss. Instead, she allowed the Lord to walk with her through the water, holding tight to His promises. I am consistently amazed at how well she is doing because she has relied completely on the Lord in her grief.
But what about emotions like happiness, comfort, euphoria or nostalgia? How could these seemingly good emotions become idols? When they lead us to unrealistic expectations or we are constantly searching for the high of these emotions then they have become idols. Unmet expectations, expectations that are unattainable and cycles of disappointment are indications that you may be harboring one of these “positive” emotions as an idol.
Now, I get to tell on myself. Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love everything surrounding the season from over decorating, overeating and over giving. As far as I’m concerned, one cannot have enough lights, tinsel, cookies, fireside chats, church activities, wrapping, carols etc; I usually start as soon as Thanksgiving is over and begin the planning of menus, festivities and all around merriment that lasts through December 31st.
The holidays represent the best of Jesus, family, food, memories and rest. But this year, Christmas didn’t come to the McBride house...just the flu. On the 23rd, Landon came down with the flu. On Christmas Eve, Kraig hit the deck and needless to say, our home was full of halle’flu’jah instead of hallelujah. I spent my day cleaning and trying very hard not to be angry over the fact that I had completely missed Christmas! And, just to continue the fun, Kraig went back to the doctor on New Year’s Eve with double pnuemonia!! I really felt like this was some kind of cruel joke set off by Ebenezer Scrooge!
In that time, I laid my heart bare before the Lord and asked Him to reveal to me why I was ready to jump off a cliff over one day on the calendar! Of course the Lord is always teaching lessons to me before I pass them on to you! I had been working on my lessons so I didn’t have to look very far to see clearly the idol in my heart. I had idolized the emotional high surrounding the holidays. I had worked so hard to get everything perfect so that I could relish the euphoria rather than the Savior. My focus had become the season not the reason for it.
The truth is, December 25th is just another day on the calendar. Christmas, the way the world celebrates, is so far off the mark that sometimes it is good to be reminded why we have Christ-mas. The date is not the point. But Christ coming to seek and to save begins with a baby in a manager and that makes everyday on the calendar Christmas! It was good for me to have my heart emptied, my idol confessed and my priorities re-oriented on Jesus as my greatest gift.
Now let’s look at our biblical examples. They come out of the same passage of scripture however, one shunned and one clung.
Turn to Ruth 1:1-21
Our example of someone who let her emotions become her idol is Naomi. You can almost see the decline of her emotional grief into an idol in this chapter. She begins in verse 11 and by verse 13 she is in total despair. Once she reaches Bethlehem in verse 20 she is scornful toward those who are welcoming to her. You can almost hear the scorn in her voice as she speaks.
On the contrary, look at Ruth’s response. Ruth has suffered great loss as well but has chosen to trust the Lord with her hurt. The entire book focuses in on the godly character of Ruth, her complete dependence on the Lord and her eventual place in the lineage of Christ! I love it! I love the fact that God is so faithful to His people when we allow Him rightful rule in our lives! What emotion are you allowing ultimate place in your life? What emotion is driving you? If it’s not gratitude motivated by the grace that covers your sin then chances are, it is an idol that needs to be uprooted. Grab your shovel, hit your knees and get to work!
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