Perceptions Trigger Emotions

October 1 2024

Recently, I took my car in for service. They informed me diagnostics would take around an hour to complete before they could give me an estimate for the repairs. I noticed the technician getting into my car, presumably for a test drive.

After twenty minutes, the technician still hadn’t returned. Another twenty minutes passed, and my car was nowhere to be seen in any of the service bays. Growing concerned, I began to feel a flurry of emotions. I perceived the technician might have taken my car for a joy ride to lunch. This thought triggered a wave of anger, frustration, and disappointment. I did what most of us do and that is to respond with our flesh and that’s never good. I talked to myself in an effort to calm down and stop thinking the worse. I refrained from complaining to the manager since I had no evidence other than my car being missing. And I did not want to go to him angry, but as a patron who was calm and felt a little violated. Anger in those situations never serves a good purpose and typically makes matters worse.

Eventually, I approached a technician for advice. He began searching for my vehicle and found it in a service bay at the far end of the shop. I had been checking the bays closest to the waiting room. The technician hadn’t taken a joy ride as I had perceived, instead he had taken my car to an open bay at the far end of the shop. My perception was 100% wrong, and I allowed my emotions to be triggered unnecessarily. What a waste of energy!!

In John Chapter 11, we are told about a man named Lazarus who became sick and later died. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha. Jesus loved them and when He came to town, he often visited them. They were His extended family.

They sent word to Him that Lazarus, the one whom He loved was sick. When Jesus heard it, He stayed in the same place where He was another two days. When He finally decided to come where they were, a total four days had passed, and Lazarus was dead. When Martha heard Jesus was coming, she met Him and said “if you had been here my brother would not have died. She came with an attitude because she had formed a perception that Jesus did not care and if He had, He would have come when she first sent for Him. Her perception was He was too busy caring for other people. Didn’t He remember the times He came to our house, and we fed Him and made Him comfortable, and this is the thanks we get!! Her perception had triggered her emotions, and she had become angry, resentful, frustrated, and disappointed. She had a fleshly response.

Mary on the other hand remained in the house and when Martha returned, she went out to meet Jesus, but with a different attitude. When she came to where Jesus was, she fell down at His feet saying “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died”. She came with a spirit of worship. She fell at His feet. She did not allow a perception to form and trigger her emotions. She still trusted and believed that the situation would be corrected regardless of how dire it appeared.

When you find yourself in a place where you start to form thoughts induced by your perception of a situation, step back. Remind yourself of who you are and more importantly, who God is. Examine the facts thoroughly and keep your emotions intact. Emotionally charged people can become filled with anxiety and they are never good ambassadors for Christ. Don’t allow your flesh to dominate you, allow the Holy Spirit to rule and reign.

Always remember, we are not our own. We have been bought with a price. The Lord is our Master so let us represent Him well.