Overcoming Emotional Burps

Many years ago Joyce Landorf wrote the book, Irregular People. She defines an irregular person as the person in your life who always manages to say or do things, intentionally or unintentionally, that leave you feeling angry and/or hurt.
Your irregular person is not the next door neighbor; you have the option of moving away from that person. Your irregular person is not that annoying co-worker; again you have the option of changing jobs. Your irregular person is that family member that because you are related you will encounter on a daily basis or maybe only at family gatherings. It may be a sibling,, a mother or father, an aunt or uncle, cousin, even your spouse. It’s that relative who “emotionally burps” on you. Terry Lusher, A Christian counselor, defines an emotional burp as a comment or act that has not been thought through; it is loud and it is rude. Have you ever been the recipient of an emotional burp from an irregular person?
Probably nothing ignites our fleshly human nature any faster than being assaulted by an emotional burp. The flesh takes front and center with reactions such as, “You #$%^* jerk!!!” or “I’d like to slap you into the middle of next week.” The flesh can be very loud. Sometimes the flesh is more subtle. Instead of getting even maybe you call friends and expose every detail of how your irregular person wronged you. By doing this your fleshly nature is seeking sympathy. The fleshly nature loves sympathy.
According to Jesus (John 6:63), it is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. For the moment sympathy feels good. Sympathy is like the ice cube applied to a burn. At first the pain is relieved, but with the melting of the ice you realize the burn is still there. Sympathy cannot change your situation. Your desire for sympathy for yourself is of the flesh and the flesh profits nothing. Certainly the flesh does not lead one into a place of peace.
Since we know it is the Spirit that gives life, (Joh:6: 63), how can we tap into the Spirit to bring the life of God into our situation? What must we do to find that place of peace and rest for our soul while encountering emotional burps from irregular people? How can we silence our fleshly reaction to emotional burps?
So often we don’t take time to consult the Holy Spirit; we allow our fleshly desire to run ahead. Don’t confuse the physical body with the flesh. The flesh, as referred to in this book, has to do with the mind, will and emotions, not the physical anatomy.
Before the tongue can speak, the thoughts and ideas are formed in the mind. The mind is made up of the will and the emotions. This is the realm we must address to silence our fleshly reaction to emotional burps. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”
We need to pray as David prayed; “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14) On what are you allowing your mind to meditate? Whatever your mind meditates on is deposited in your heart. The meditations that bring life are always in line with the Word of God. Romans 8:5-7, says it like this; “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” You cannot expect God to intervene on your behalf when you operate in the flesh…the flesh is hostile toward God. The fleshly nature is inclined to operate contrary to the law of God. However, the mind set on the Spirit is the pathway to that place of sweet rest and peace even in the midst of emotional burps from irregular people.
Do you want to know what is in a person’s heart? Look at how he responds to an emotional burp from his irregular person. The tongue will eventually display what we have hidden in our heart. We can fool some of the people some of the time, but sooner or later what is in the heart will come out through the mouth. Jesus said, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” (Luke 6:45) So, how do you fill your heart to assure what comes out of the mouth will be pleasing to God, and in turn, be profitable for you? Psalms 119:11 is a great place to start. It says, “Thy Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” In order to hide God’s Word in your heart you must spend time mediating on His Word. When you allow God’s word to have final authority in your heart, then your thoughts, plans and desires will be in alignment with His will. The more time you spend with God through His Word, the more intimately you come to know Him; the more intimately you know God the more you realize you can trust Him. The more you trust Him the easier it is to exchange your fleshly thoughts, plans and desires for His perfect and powerful thoughts, plans and desires. Again, remember Jesus’ words, “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63)
Jesus demonstrated aligning His will with that of the Father’s when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke writes, “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’” (Luke 22:41-42)
Jesus had a choice, He was all God, but He was also all man. Had He allowed His flesh to choose, He would have refused the cross. However, He chose to align His will with the will of the Father even unto death. Aren’t you glad that we have a Savior who came to show us how to live? Not only did He pay the penalty for our sin by sacrificing Himself on the cross, He provided us with instructions on how to live abundantly this side of heaven; how to live in perfect peace even in the midst of this world’s turmoil. He led by example. Those He created became His irregular people; people screaming “crucify Him”, and He responded praying, “Father, forgive them.” Thank you Jesus!