Emotions Are the Yellow Brick Road that Lead to the Emerald City of Sanity

“Emotions are like clouds in the sky. They are to be noticed, accepted, acknowledged and allowed to flow on.”
Stephen C. Paul, Illuminations

It’s tough feeling powerless. Someone we care about is suffering and we struggle internally— mentally, emotionally and spiritually—with our deep desire to rescue them. If you find yourself in this situation, stop for a moment and breathe. Stop plotting an escape plan for the other person. And stop trying to control the bad feelings that are bubbling to a boiling point within you.

Face your feelings and try to understand them. They are a roadmap to eventual peace and sanity. Allow God to help you. Surrender your powerlessness over your feelings to God. Breathe and identify what you are feeling: sadness, shock, desperation, anxiety, frustration, fear, sorrow, regret, guilt, et al. Once you can identify what you are actually feeling allow yourself to feel it. Don’t wrestle with it, deny it or medicate it away. Simply feel it no matter how painful it may seem. You are stronger than it is. A feeling is just a part of you, but it is a part of you that must be honored. You honor a feeling by acknowledging it, understanding it, accepting it, feeling it and allowing it to flow through you.

Once we own our feelings and understand how they are present to help us, we gain a more balanced state of mind. We realize that it’s OK to feel whatever we’re feeling and it’s OK to acknowledge that we are powerless. We also realize that it’s OK to rely on a Power greater than ourselves. It’s Ok to trust. We can trust ourselves and we can trust our Higher Power.

In trusting ourselves and God, we are able to let go of our compulsion to fix things that our beyond our control or to rescue someone who is suffering. We regain our sanity.

If you are struggling with the problems of someone you love, let go. If they are suffering from health issues, you are powerless to make them well. If they are struggling with financial problems, you are powerless to make them financially responsible. And if they are struggling with relationship issues, you are powerless to make them mentally/emotionally/spiritually sane. You are NOT powerless, however, in your ability to hand them over to God. We always have the power to surrender our loved ones to our Higher Power and to let go of their problems so that God can heal them in God’s own infinite way.

Do what you CAN do: Surrender your compulsions, feelings, needs, problems and loved ones to God. Trust. Allow God to do for you and your loved ones what you cannot do. And allow your soul to shine.

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