Friday 8 February 2013

Sweet Emotion

I've been rethinking my views on how to treat emotions as believers. I'm the type of person who appreciates reason, study and good theological understanding, while not placing much emphasis on emotional experience; or in other words, I'm a typical guy. That's not to say that I don't have feelings, but they are something I keep in check. 

There is an emphasis I find taught in many circles that emotions are somehow inferior to understanding. This teaching sometimes is in response to over-emotional displays where everything is about 'feeling' and if we don't feel anything, well, God is not moving!  So to correct this, we say and reassure those who do not feel anything "It is not about how you feel, but what God's Word says about you" which is true and reasonable.  
But I often wonder can you have an encounter with Jesus and receive His life without an emotional response (...at some point)?  In scriptures we see those who receive Jesus filled with wonderful excitement, joy and encouragement "Walking and leaping and praising God!" (Acts 3:8)

Still, a lot of time we reject emotions or place them on a lower scale of importance because we have been hurt in the past.  We could experience wonderful happiness and excitement over something new only to get our hopes up.  We have felt a strong passion and desire only to have our hearts broken.  So we guard our hearts as the Bible tells us to do.

The dangerous extension of this teaching is when emotions are something we deny if they contradict how a good Christian should be, ie. Always Rejoicing.  Back 13 years ago when my grandfather passed away, my grandmother was deeply saddened.  But believing that good Christians are always to rejoice, my grandmother tried so hard to make herself be happy.  This only worsened things and led her to guilt, condemnation and greater sadness.  She too passed away only a year later.  

So how are we to use emotions?  Emotions are often a more powerful force in our lives than reason.  The unconditional love of a parent willing to put him or herself in harm's way for a child.  The pain of a broken heart even though we know the relationship wasn't meant to be.  The mourning over the loss of a loved one even though they are with Jesus in Glory.

I find that grief and sadness are powerful emotions that draw us near to Jesus in close intimacy.  We know that Jesus can sympathize and relate for He too wept and cried for Lazarus. (John 11) Jesus full-well knew and stated that He would raise Lazarus from the dead, but still let reason and understanding subside to emotion.  Jesus' tears were an emotional response. 

My new outlook:  Don't be afraid of emotions.  When I'm open and honest with God I can allow my emotions to guide my prayer and reveal the concerns of my heart.  We have a great promise that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth and reveals Jesus. God created emotions for us to enjoy, utilize and further strengthen our relationship with Him. 


2 comments:

  1. This past Sunday in church, the message was that when God is in a good mood, He heals people. And God is usually in a good mood. This got me thinking about moods and what causes them and if God was affected by the same mood-affecting causes as we are and if God gets in a bad mood, what happens???? I agree with your blog about respecting our emotions but how are emotions related to mood? Our thoughts affect our mood (among other things), our mood affects our emotions, and is God like us?

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  2. And some people are more moody than others... especially when they haven't eaten! There are a lot of OT passages that make God out to be very moody. It seems scary to be living back then. I guess there was some assurance to know that His moodiness was predictable. (when the people disobeyed He got upset) But I wonder today if God is mostly in a good mood, what makes God in a bad mood? Is it the disobedience of people? If so, with 7 billion people on this planet there must be quite a few people doing bad things at any given moment...which would make him upset all the time? I think with Jesus sacrifice it stands as a pleasing aroma to God and propitiation for the world’s sin. So He should always be in a good mood today and thankfully He doesn’t get hungry.

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