Franco-Prussian War and Romans 12:2 The Emotion (Part 3)

 The story below has details filled in by the imagination, but the main events in it are true to the best of my knowledge. 

 Napoleon III was so inspired by his famous uncle, he wanted to be like him, and he tried different opportunistic conquests in wars leading up to this time, partly motivated by his desire to be like his uncle, the great conquering emperor who terrorized Europe, he felt like him. He really felt like he was a great war leader. When the French read the dispatch that Otto had tweaked, they felt outrage, French honor was at stake, and in a near blind rage, the French clamored for war. Napoleon was ill but he felt like an emperor. So he personally led the main army, and he got surrounded at a place called Sedan. He felt so humiliated, and defeated that he rode aimlessly around amongst his troops, hoping that some how, some way, a German shell would take him out of his misery, but finally he had to write a note of surrender, and turned himself and his whole army in. He was held in comfortable captivity until the Germans got a peace deal with the new French government in Paris, then Napoleon was released, the feelings of shame and failure were just to much, his wife had joined him in Germany during his captivity, but now that they were free, they decided not to return to France, to much pain there. So, the disgraced couple moved to England, and there Napoleon's health worsened. Within 2 years, he was on his death bed. His last words were, "Isn't it true that we weren't cowards at Sedan?" The pain and agony of shame, had hung with the disgraced emperor, even on his death bed, that shame hung over him like a cloud. It is one of the saddest death bed statements you will ever hear if you think about what it really meant.

 When the Germans captured Napoleon and his army, they felt triumphant, they closed in on Paris and surrounded it. They began shelling the city. The Parisians felt desperate, and resorted to eating zoo animals, and trying to get messages for help out via hot air balloons and carrier pigeons. None of it worked though, and in total despair they surrendered. The Germans felt vindictive, and although they had no real desire to conquer France and add it to their collection of nations, they wanted what they wanted. So France was made to give up Alsace-Lorraine, which included 1'694 villages and cities to Germany, who then gave the citizens a chance to vote which empire to be a part of. France was made to pay 5 Billion Francs, and Germany occupied the northeastern portion of their country until it was paid. So, in the end, Germany felt triumph, and got richer. Napoleon III was devastated, felt shame, and disgrace. Both sides took credit and blame respectively, and both felt it keenly. However, lest you think this was all a good result for Germany, look forward to the end of World War 1, when lingering bad feelings from the French led to extremely harsh measures taken against Germany. 

 Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

 As discussed in part 1, emotions are the second part of that renewed mind Paul talks about, in history, we see many examples of how people feel pain or gladness based on what happened as a result of their actions. You can try to hide your feelings, you can try to sit on them. Or you can simply lash out based on what you feel, however, I ask you, can you find any time in full historical context that this has worked for anyone? Paul was lashed 5 times by the Jews, 3 times, he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, and 3 times he was shipwrecked. Paul's lashes were 39 each time. 39 has been thought to take someone to death's door, and 40 would kill a man. So, 5 times, various people took Paul to death's door. It has been surmised that beating with rods meant that they beat Paul's feet, and broke the bones in them so he wouldn't travel anymore, if so, God healed his feet. Either way, 3 times, people were determined enough to shut Paul down that they beat him. Once he was stoned, and at that point he was left for dead, so they had tried to kill him. He was shipwrecked 3 times as well, so that was discouraging to receive, on top of all the persecution, and yet in the same letter, Paul said that he will be gladly spent, and that he will rejoice in infirmities. Does this meant hat Paul never felt the emotion of all these things? No, of course not, It simply means, that Paul allowed God to heal all the emotional pain he experienced in the same way that God healed his body. God can heal your body through miracles, or through medicine. So, why don't we let him heal emotions as part of the renewing process? If your feelings have been hurt, that actually does matter, if you sit on them, you can become a human volcano, if you act out of them you can hurt others. So, ask God to show you, how you've been hurt, and how he would like to heal that. Get someone to pray with you. If you want to, contact me about this, and I will help if I can.