In the month of November there is a much higher focus to stop and reflect on the things we are thankful for. I strive to live out of a thankful heart, as 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us, “give thanks in all circumstances…” There’s always something to be thankful for and I want to voice those things to my Father daily – the big and the small. This weekend I was reminded of something I’ve never really thought of as something I have to be thankful for.
Perhaps this thought was inspired in part by watching the latest Pixar film with my housemates, but it made me stop and think.
I am thankful for my emotions.
I am thankful I can feel – anger, bitterness, joy, disgust, fear, sadness, grief, frustration, peace, love, pain, excitement, etc. The range of emotions we are able to feel and experience in and of itself blows me away.
Sometimes women get a bad reputation for being too emotional. And yes, I’ve been known to cry at times, or be jumping up and down, crazed with excitement. There is a healthy balance to be achieved between understanding and feeling your emotions and not being completely ruled by them, but that’s not what I want to discuss here. I would rather be able to feel and maybe cry too often or exclaim from joy or blow up at something that frustrates me than be numb – than to not feel anything at all. That’s borderline robotic and that’s not what you, me, or any of us were created to be like.
God gave us emotions for a reason. They help us discern, heal, mourn, and are part of living life abundantly. Bitterness helps show you there might be unforgiveness in your heart. Grief, when felt, helps you mourn and move forward. Anger stirs the pot and lets you know some sort of injustice has been done – whether against you or someone you care about. Joy resides deep within, a steady heartbeat stemming from faith in Jesus Christ. Excitement shows you what gets you going and where your passions lie. Emotions are knit within our DNA because they reflect the God whose image we were made in.
Prior to contrary belief of some, God isn’t just some big, heartless authority in the sky. Remember in 1 John 4:16 it says God IS love. God feels. He has emotions, just like we do. Or rather, we have emotions, just like He does. After all, we reflect the work of our Creator, being created in His image and all.
God feels. It’s shown throughout Scripture.
He gets angry.
“But Moses said, “’Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.’ Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, ‘What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you.’” –Exodus 4:13-14
He feels sadness and grief.
“Jesus wept.” –John 11:35
He feels compassion and love.
“I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them. Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows.” –Hosea 11:4, 8
These are just three of several examples I could have pulled from the Word that show our God is a God with emotions. It is healthy to feel your emotions and work through them – it’s a part of how we are designed. God is showing us more of who we are and who He is through them.
Don’t be ashamed to feel. I know I’m not.
For me, when I face an emotion or work through it, even when I would rather just shove it to the side, I know I am reflecting my true nature – reflecting my Father.
So, there it is – I am thankful to feel and experience all kinds of emotions.
Your turn! What is something you’re thankful for that you’ve maybe forgotten about or never really given a second thought to?
