Valerie is a 42-year-old, single, Reformed Christian lady who lives in Baltimore. She doesn't remember a time
before she knew and loved Jesus, but she does remember accepting John Calvin into her heart in March of 2000.
Valerie is a member of Christ Reformed Evangelical Church in Annapolis.
Though her career aspiration is to be a housewife, Valerie has not yet found anyone suitable who wishes to hire
her for employment in that field (or, more properly, anyone suitable has not found her), so in the meantime she
earns her daily bread working in communications -- editing, writing, print design and website management.
Repenting of Happiness
I've begun to realize in recent days, as my moods have gone through rather dramatic gyrations in response to various circumstances (today's episode brought to you by software triumphs and defeats), that highs can be as sinful as lows. If my emotion in driven by my circumstances, and in turn drives my behavior, it makes no difference whether the mood is sad, happy, angry, placid, or whatever -- it's still idolatry. Moodolatry, I'll call it. Google says I'm being original, and besides, moodolatry sounds like a sacred cow if there ever was one!
The Lord is God, and He alone. Therefore He alone should rule my heart and my will. But I bow and bend to every passing breeze of circumstance. Here are some synonyms of circumstance: destiny, fate, fortune, luck*. When I yield myself as if to such impersonal forces, I am denying the true God's sovereignty over what happens to me and His fatherly oversight of how it will affect me. Or if I do recognize His personal hand, but respond without reference to Him as I ought -- casting my cares upon Him, submitting my grief to Him, being angry but sinning not, offering sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving -- then I'm being rebellious, which is also idolatry, this time with self as the object.
I am grateful that He helps me understand this stuff. Repentance is at least a little easier if one knows exactly what it is one should be repenting of!
*"I have now lived a hundred and nine winters in this world and have never yet met any such thing as Luck."
Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 5:55 PM
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