• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Tara Johnson

sharing stories through writing, speaking and singing

TwitterLinkedInFacebookYoutubetara@tarajohnsonstories.com
  • About Tara
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Where Dandelions Bloom
    • Engraved on the Heart
    • Hollow Victory
  • Speaking
  • Singing
    • Songwriting and Everything In Between
  • Writing
    • Writing Fiction
  • Gallery

Battered Bluebirds: How to Handle Lying Emotions

July 17, 2016 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

The poor bluebird above our basketball goal. He’s just so…dumb. Every morning I walk outside to see my husband’s driver’s side rear view mirror battered and smeared, evidence of another early morning fight.

It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. bluebird car mirror

Every morning, the male bluebird perches in front of my husband’s rear view mirror and sees him. That vile, evil threat. Another male bluebird just like him. A threat to his woman. To his babies. So he does what must be done. He pecks the foul fowl until his head is nearly smashed flat and his beak resembles the blunt end of a hammer. Poor dumb, bluebird. He doesn’t realize he’s actually fighting himself.

He’s his own worst enemy.

I shouldn’t be quick to judge. I’m my own worst enemy too.

Do you know where the enemy lies to most of us? About our emotions. He tells us that because we FEEL a certain way, it must be so. We feel God doesn’t love us due to circumstances being out of our control, so therefore, God must not love us. We feel neglected by our husbands, so therefore, we are neglected. We feel hopeless in our circumstances, so therefore there must not be hope.

emotions

We see something that looks real, so therefore it must be real. (Ahem, cue Mr. Bluebird.)

Emotions are not good or bad. They just ARE. They are God-given ways of experiencing life in a profound way. The problem is, our emotions were damaged in the Fall.

The blunt truth here is this: our emotions usually have very little to do with reality. They swing and dive with alarming speed. Truth doesn’t.

When you’re threatening to drown in those suffocating, overwhelming crush of emotions, stop and breathe. Analyze the emotion. Name it. Then confront how you’re feeling with the Truth of God’s Word.

“Lord, everything about this day is falling apart. I don’t feel like You see me. I don’t feel like You care. But Your Word says You see me. You set me aside for a purpose before I was ever born. I will cling to You and Your truth.”

Take a step back. Just because it looks and feels real, doesn’t mean it is. Just ask my friend Mr. Bluebird.

god

Whatever the emotion, bring it into the light of God’s truth. Cling to what you know and not how you feel. It will make all the difference, not just in how you manage your day, but how you live your life.

How do you usually deal with your emotions? Are you dictated by them or have you found ways to control them? What lie does the enemy frequently try to tell you? I would love to hear!

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: confronting emotions with God's truth, dealing with emotions, deceptions, emotions, emotions lie, emotions lies, enemy, God's truth, lies, Satan, satan's lies, truth

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

Get to know Tara . . .

Writing

Writing

Speaking

Speaking

Singing

Singing

Free gift from Tara!

Join Tara’s email community and you’ll receive a FREE short story, In the Shadow of His Wings.


Subscribe to our mailing list



Engraved on the Heart

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

Engraved on the Heart
Click to view purchasing options for Engraved on the Heart.

Latest Blog Posts

What We Can Learn from the MacArthur/Beth Moore Debacle

  • Am I Good Enough?
  • When Forgiving Seems Impossible: Part 3
  • When Your Heart is Stamped “Condemned”: Part 2
  • Civil War Trivia 101

Click to read more . . .

Reader Reviews:

Jocelyn Green

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

“Lovers of Civil War fiction will rejoice to add Engraved on the Heart to their collections.” Read more “Jocelyn Green”

Award-winning Author

Robin Lee Hatcher

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

“Tara Johnson delivers a stirring tale of danger and hope.” Read more “Robin Lee Hatcher”

RITA and Christy Award winner

Sarah Sundin

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

“Engraved on the Heart brings Savannah, Georgia, during the Civil War to life.” Read more “Sarah Sundin”

Award-winning Author

Laura Frantz

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

“Johnson weaves a tale of selflessness, and service . . .” Read more “Laura Frantz”

Author

FREE Blog Updates!

Enter your email address:

Meet Tara

Tara JohnsonTara Johnson is a writer, singer, speaker and passionate lover of stories. Tara uses fiction, nonfiction, song and laughter to share her testimony of how God led her into freedom after spending years living shackled to the expectations of others. She lives in central Arkansas with her husband and children.

Trailer for Engraved on the Heart

Copyright © 2019 Tara Johnson. All Rights Reserved. | Contact

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Disclaimer | Contact