Skip to main content

Engaging our Emotions

           A friend of mine, who had just gone through a life changing tragedy said, “I knew it was coming, but I had no idea how bad it would feel!”

           That is the issue, isn’t it?  The feelings we go through are often the hardest part of the journey.  Most things are not unbearable.  I mean, in a physical sense, if you had to get out of bed and face the day you probably could.  It is the “feeling” that we can’t face a certain issue or event that makes it difficult.

            To make matters worse, places that should acknowledge those feelings and help us deal with them often do not.  Take church for example.  Churches should be full of people who are there for one another and who are ready to listen and “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).  Too often, though, we dress up and act as if nothing is happening in our life (whether good or bad).  “How are you today?” always gets the same response, “I am fine!” whether that is true or not. 

            Now, I am not suggesting that you unload your “emotional dump truck” on everyone that you meet.   I do, however, believe that real faith can only be created when real people come to the real God.  Part of being a real person is dealing with real emotions. 

            Interestingly, the word of God deals with emotions all the time.  In fact, we have an entire book called “Lamentations” (Literally “Crying”).   A full two-thirds of the Psalms are “laments” and “complains” and the others are full of words like “rejoice” and “praise”.  In the gospels, we are often told what Jesus was feeling.  We read that at the tomb of Lazarus “Jesus wept” (John 13:35).  Seeing the crowds, he had “compassion” on them (Mark 6:34).  When the religious leaders put rules before mercy, Jesus looked at them in “anger” (Mark 3:5).  Jesus’ emotions are front and centre because they are part of the story of his faithfulness. 

            I do not know how you feel about your life right now, but I do know this:  You do not have to be “perfect” or “Have your act together” to come to church.  None of us “Have our act together” – that is why we are here. 

            I know this too:  If you share who you really are, with God and with others, you will find hope!  Christian hope is not based on wishful thinking, rather it is based on the knowledge that God loves you, that he is near and that he is working things out (Romans 8:28)

            In the end, that feeling of hope could be your greatest spiritual possession.

            “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord” - Psalm 31:24

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Article: Grace Changes Everything

               A young man broke into a business and did $5000 damage. As part of his Restorative Justice sentence, he was required to meet with my friend Garth.   Garth believes in making apologies and restitution.   It took several months, but Garth finally convinced the young man that these were necessary steps, so he tried to arrange a meeting with the business owner.                The business owner wanted nothing to do with this situation.   He was angry and wanted a more severe form of justice.   Eventually, however, he agreed to meet the young man to hear what he had to say.                  The young man looked the business owner in the eye an...

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    

New Article: Think Abundance Not Scarcity

                 “There are no trees in Saskatchewan!”                I have heard that statement many times, mostly from people who moved to Estevan from places like British Columbia or northern Ontario.   Compared to what they expect, Saskatchewan, and Estevan in particular, seems rather barren.   However, that statement is not true.   More than half the province is covered with trees.   Go up north and there are trees everywhere.                A few months ago, I came across an aerial photo of Estevan from the 1950s.   When I showed it to my girls, the first thing they said was, “Wow, there are no trees in that picture!”   The photo looked odd ...