On Monday night (10/3/2016) Odell Beckham got a Personal foul penalty during the Monday night football game because he could not control his emotions. NFL writer, Jeremy Bergman, comments, “[Xavier] Rhodes’ aggressive coverage and an iffy late hit drove Beckham to commit an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty early in the game and then lower his shoulder on the Vikings cornerback out of bounds on a later play.… But Beckham’s reputation as a hot-head diva has also made him a target for strong-willed cornerbacks who know what buttons to push. “
This example shows how important emotions are to our Christians walk with God. Emotions are what moves us to action or decision about a course of action. Someone has said that there is “no motion without emotion.” Therefore, since Jesus is Lord, all things should be done for His glory (including developing emotionally), whether we are eating or drinking or getting angry or sad or feeling afraid or happy. Paul talks about the reality of the relationship of our emotions to our actions when he warns believer to, “26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26–27).
We carry around with us cares and worries that effect our ability to handle situations well. Like our scripture says, when we experience frustration or anger we need to not allow it to control us or lead us into sinful responses. Scripture and prayer are means that we can deal with our anger and frustrations (emotions) by being honest with God. R.C. Sproul says that, “…it is acceptable to bring our cares to God, including matters that move us to frustration or anger. However, we must not come to God in a spirit of complaint or anger against him, for it is never proper to accuse God of wrongdoing.”
Like, Odell Beckham, we all struggle with our emotions. If we would start to embrace God’s control over our situations and cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7, Ps. 55:22), we can control our frustrations and anger better with God’s help. When we work with others to solve problems, let your conversations be mindful that God is in control. Don’t give opportunity to the Devil to tempt you. Be angry and do not sin. Don’t complain to God, but cast your cares upon him.
Pastor