I Second That Emotion

"The only problem is that we are more than spiritual beings.  God made us whole people, in his image (see Gen. 1:27).  That includes physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and social dimensions."

Yes, God made us WHOLE people.  We may be broken, but we are whole.  I am very guilty of paying attention to my spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical self, but how often I dismiss the emotional self.  I have made myself to be a 4/5 person.  I did not grow up in a very emotional/touchy-feely household, and it was and is very easy to sweep emotions aside.  This passage screams, "Attention must be paid!"


"Denying anger, ignoring pain, skipping over depression, running from loneliness, avoiding doubts....has become a way of working out our spiritual lives."

  For years I thought that if I shared or thought anything related to anger, pain, loneliness, etc. then I would just be COMPLAINING.  And I never wanted to be "that person."  I can even remember during my driver years on houseboats never wanting to even peep the words, "I'm tired" for fear that I would be perceived as a complainer.  What a danger and a lie to think that way.  What damage I was doing.  How small I made God out to be, thinking He could not USE these feelings and break through them.  "Ignoring our emotions is turning our back on reality; listening to our emotions ushers us into reality.  And reality is where we meet God."  I still struggle with some these same feelings today.  Lord, I want to be real with you in my emotions.  I want to meet YOU!


"We forget that change comes through brutal honesty and vulnerability before God."  Oh, how true this is!  Why is it so hard for us [read: me] to be honest before God?  Is it because I am afraid of what I am going to hear back?  Is it that I don't want to face the hard truths and realities of life?  Is it because if I say it, then it's real?  Yes, Yes, and Yes.

 "The spiritual-discipleship approaches of the churches and ministries that had shaped my faith had no language, theology, or training to help me in this area." Emotions have a language. I believe that many  of us do not utilize, or have a grasp of, the words in that emotional dictionary.  As I get older, and have been very fortunate to have friends who are very good at this.  They can put a name to their emotions, identify feelings, express what their needs are, etc. I, unfortunately, am not as good.  I am taking baby steps toward developing an emotional language, however.  I have far to go.  I am hoping this study will provide me with some pages to add to that dictionary.