I once cried because my purse (containing my make-up bag) sat somewhere downstairs, and I needed it upstairs to get ready for work. My mind knew this simple problem could be fixed, but I cried anyway. (Cut me a bit of slack for being pregnant at the time. My husband retrieved the purse for me.)

Here's the point. Emotions are powerful.

While mine may be an extreme example, it illustrates how emotions influence us.

God created us girls with strong emotions, especially at specific points of our development. They're real, but that doesn't mean we should chase wherever they lead, or sit back and let them toss us around.

Grab your Bible. Go ahead. Now flip it open to Psalms. Any chapter. Read a few lines. Flip some more, read from another chapter. What emotions do you find? You'll see a rainbow of emotion from deepest blues to brightest yellows and fiery reds. The psalmist felt it all. And, he took it all to God. He prayed it, he sang it, and he wrote it.

Did you catch that? These are three things we can apply to our emotions.

1. Pray - Describe the details of what you feel to God. No special words needed, just your words.
2. Sing - Song holds the ability to open our hearts and lift our eyes toward God in the middle of powerful feelings. You don't have to be a soloist to sing before God.
3. Write - Give yourself permission to write out what's going on. Just start, the thoughts will flow through as you get it down on the paper.

A choice to offer our emotions to God through praying, singing and writing helps us express our feelings and see Him.

Look again at the Psalms. Notice how the writings turn from hurt, fear or anger to worship. To acknowledging who God is...to crying out for the comfort God offers and the control He holds...to remembering what God has already done.

Share this with a few good girlfriends. Keep each other accountable. When emotions rise, encourage each other to give them the 1-2-3 Psalms Punch.

Jeanette Edgar is married to her husband, Randy, of 15 years and a mother of three school-age children. Her passion is to encourage believers to find their own identities in Christ by striving first to know Him better. Personal interests include reading, traveling, hiking, scrapbooking and pushing past complacency to growth in her walk with the Lord. You can follow her Bible reading blog at www.invitedlife.wordpress.com.