Can We Live With Our Emotions?

Many of us have a hard time expressing our emotions.  

We flounder because we think they mostly torment us.  I’ve experienced this many times.  Or we just don’t know what to do with some of them, like passion or anger.

For the last several weeks, we’ve explored some of our emotions, like frustration, guilt, intimidation, and fear.  Each one can be felt when life doesn’t seem to go the way we imagine.  Bizarrely, though, even though we feel them, many of us have a hard time expressing our feelings.  We flounder because we think they mostly torment us.  I’ve experienced this many times.  Or we just don’t know what to do with some of them, like passion or anger.  

So, if we’re honest, many of us are tempted to try and numb ourselves from our feelings.  Or pretend they don’t exist. 

And yet, we all have emotions.  None of us is without them.

So what do we do with them? 

How do we live with our feelings? 

Not criticizing ourselves because of them.  

Or trying to resist them.  Or numb them. Or stifle them. Or overindulge them.

Did you know humans are the only created beings with the ability to perceive and feel?  Yes, God intentionally created us to understand and feel.  This means that every day we have the opportunity to experience life on a deeply human, relational level.

Think about it for a minute.

Our creation speaks profoundly to the value God has for each and every one of our lives.  He has beautifully and intentionally given us the gift of our emotions. This means our feelings are neither burdens to carry nor a nightmare to endure.  Instead, we have emotions so that we can know, understand, experience, and share our lives with others.

Relationally, as men and women, this means we can live in an awareness of each other.  Showing empathy.   Practicing compassion.  Listening if the other is hurting.  Being kind and gracious to ourselves.  Valuing one another, whether we like the other person or not.  

Here is one of thousands of passages in the Bible where God expresses His emotion to us.  It’s from the book of Hosea, 

“My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows” (11:8, NLT).

Reflective Response: 

Can you imagine being honest with yourself about what you think and feel?  Why, or why not?  

Can you imagine telling your coworkers exactly what you think and feel?  Why, or why not? 

Can you imagine God feels emotionally toward you?  Why, or why not?