When Feelings Rise: Finding Peace in the Mess

This morning, as I was sliding a book onto my bookcase, one side of the shelf collapsed. Books and souvenirs tumbled to the ground, leaving a messy pile for me to clean up. I still don’t know how it happened, but I do know this: an inconvenient moment like that invited me to pause and draw near to God.

What looked like a mess on my floor revealed the mess in my heart. What I assumed was just another burden in my day ended up exposing the burdens I was already carrying.

The Weight We Carry

Over the past few months, I’ve felt my emotions slowly building—like water behind a dam. Emotions waiting and waiting to overflow. I became increasingly sensitive to the world around me, irritated by even the smallest interruptions.

I kept making mistakes. People kept saying the wrong things. But now I wonder: was the world really getting harder to live in, or was my heart just growing harder?

If you’ve felt this way, you’re not alone. As women, our emotions often rise and fall like the tide. Hormones shift, responsibilities pile up, and unpredictable things catch us off guard. If we’re not careful, our reactions to those changes can do more harm than we realize.

So Where is God in All of This?

How can we feel all of this and still honor Him?

Most advice we hear is practical: stay hydrated, sleep well, eat well, and pray. While these are good habits, they only go so far. The deep sin nature in our hearts—the anger, jealousy, pride—cannot be fixed by food or sleep. Even our inability to control our emotions stems from a spiritual issue, not just a physical one.

Scripture doesn’t ignore this reality:

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
—Jeremiah 17:9

For me, I found that my irritation and anger were often rooted in a deeper feeling of not being enough. Not being seen. Those heartaches made me resent my daily responsibilities and react with impatience when things went wrong.

How Do We Truly Deal With Our Emotions?

Here are four biblical truths to remember:

Recognize your need for Jesus as your Savior
(John 3:16, Romans 5:8, John 14:6, Romans 6:23)
Remember that you are a new creation—with a new heart
(2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26, Galatians 2:20)
Accept that sin is inevitable—and repentance is necessary
(Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8–9, Romans 7:18–19, Acts 3:19)
Learn to depend on Jesus daily
(John 15:5, Psalm 55:22, Matthew 11:28–30, Hebrews 4:15–16)

“’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
—2 Corinthians 12:9

Reflection Questions

How has a recent inconvenience revealed a deeper emotional struggle in your life? What did it teach you?
How do you usually respond to overwhelming emotions? Why do you think that is? How can you shift your focus to Jesus?
What is one way you can choose not to lash out when your emotions are tense?

Closing Thought:

Feelings will rise—but we don’t have to be ruled by them. When the dam starts to break, may we remember where our help comes from. Let the breaking lead you back to the One who holds every piece together.