Bad moods are inevitable. Some of us find our way into them more often than others, but it happens to us all. It may be caused by how we are feeling, events that happen, as a response to stress, or just because. Heck, I have been so moody, it seems like I am sometimes in a bad mood just because I am awake.
Jonathan Edwards gave thought to his moodiness and his bad moods. Through his resolve, he sought wisdom and perhaps even a cure for them. In fact, his journal has three dates in which he constructed Resolution #59. Seemingly, then, he struggled with moodiness and gave great investment in managing it.
Also, because that management of bad moods evolved to a resolution, he no doubt felt that God believes we should have discipline to overcome our moody behavior. So, let’s dig into Resolution #59 a bit more.
Jonathan Edwards Resolution 59
Edwards’ Resolution #59 (in my modernized language) Whenever I am aware of my bad mood and moody behaviors, I will strive for a good attitude. Though it may seem fake, and may be to my disadvantage at first, it displays graciousness, and staying in a bad mood is careless.
Our Bad Moods are Stupid
As a father, I have many times, when trying to explain things to my children, been met with a response of “Well, that’s stupid.” Sometimes, I can’t really argue that point. Other times, though, I ask why they think it’s stupid. The typical respond? “It just is.”
Sometimes, you just can’t reason with adolescent logic.
Yet, I have to wonder if we truly ever outgrow such rationale. I say this as I reflect upon an event that happened at a small concert my family attended. My wife and I, along with our three daughters, had carried our meals that took a long time to buy through a crowded area on a really hot day, and sought a place to sit, eat, and figure out how to best enjoy the experience.
Finally, I spied a section of bleachers that was unoccupied. I approached, looked it over and then called for my family to catch up with me. This would be a good spot to eat and regroup. Relieved, I turned and began to sit. Then a woman who was sitting next to that open area stuck her hand in my path and said, “Someone’s sitting there.”
In the frustration of defeat, my bad mood took over. Walking away in disgust, I retorted, “Doesn’t look like it.”
I was frustrated already and her denial of my success was amplified because I couldn’t understand why she didn’t speak up as I was vetting the appropriateness of the site. She had ample time, I thought. And, to her claim on the seating, I basically said, “That’s stupid.”
Bad moods are an inevitable part of the human condition. Take time to stop and consider their ripple effect, and how much more valuable the impact on others, if you were to be disciplined enough to counter your condition with positive moods.
Why Our Bad Moods are NOT Stupid
In the moments after that interaction, we found a spot on the ground with okay visibility of the stage. We sat, ate, and I pondered the experience.
Was I more mad at that lady, or at myself for how I responded?
I continued pondering and directing my anger at the woman’s delayed response to what I felt were very clear and obvious intentions. However, I could not shake the fact that I could have responded better.
Would I have reacted the same way if that woman were a friend or family member? Was I a poor representative of God’s kingdom?
I was in a bad mood. I took it out on this stranger who might have been reluctantly left there by a husband, sister, or friend who was wondering about. For all I know, she might have been praying inside that nobody would zero in on the presumably open section. She might have desperately wanted to avoid any possibility of conflict.
I took out my bad mood on her. And then I took it out on my family for several minutes later as we ate. They were subjected to my attitude and ire.
I came to realize my bad mood began well before I saw those seats. And before that woman’s hand entered into my path. The ripple effect of my bad mood, though, impacted a handful of other people. And it might have sparked a bad mood in others, with ripple effects all of their own.
Our Bad Moods Can Provoke Discipleship
So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” – 1 Peter 1:13-16 MSG
We people are not perfect. We are, however, being perfected. That’s a guiding principle of “refining life, on purpose.”
Our bad moods and moody behavior can point to genuine heart conditions. A baseline of sorts that we retreat to when we are at our wit’s end. When we are frustrated. Or fed up. In times of stress; or in times of distress.
When you find ourselves in the middle of frequent bad moods, stop and ask why? Find the root of the mood. Take your feelings to God in prayer. Perhaps there is a deeper root to the mood than you thought. Edwards was a constant examiner of himself. I believe he was always concerned for his eternal status and found himself lacking too often.
If Edwards had room to refine life and seek spiritual guidance for correction, certainly so can we. Seek correction and have the discipline to see it through. That’s discipleship.
And, just as your stupid bad moods have negative ripple effects on those around you, your no-so-stupid good moods can have even more impactful, positive ripple effects.