Embracing Emotions in Faith

Episode 014 – God Wants You Emotional

There is a crucial element of our lives that many of us are ignoring. The wreckage of our denial is visible all around us.

Our inner life, and particularly our emotional life, is a crucial part of our spiritual growth. Time we started paying attention!

Show Notes

Show notes will not be a transcript. At least not now. You’ll find a few key bullet points, any scriptures references, as well as any other books or resources referenced.

• Many people are content with a life (and spiritual journey) that is “mostly working,” unaware that their failure to pay attention to their inner life is causing major damage.
• When asked what matters most, Jesus told us that we love God with all we are and all we have. We love God through our relationships, with our mind, with our ability and with our heart, our inner life. That includes our emotions. (Matthew 22:34-40)
• Many churches and Christian teachers avoid talking about emotions or only talk about them in negative terms. This is a failure of discipleship.
  • Our emotions are a part of how God created us.
  • They are created in God’s image.
  • They have an important role in our lives.
• Scripture shows God having emotional experiences. Just a few examples of hundreds available:
  • Psalms 78:40. Grief.
  • Deuteronomy 1:34. Anger.
  • Exodus 34:14. Jealousy.
  • 1st Kings 3:10. Pleasure.
  • Zephaniah 3:17. Rejoicing and delight.
  • Isaiah 54:7. Compassion.
• Scripture also shows Jesus living with the full range of human emotion. A few examples:
  • John 11:35. Weeping in grief for Lazarus’ death.
  • Luke 19:41. Weeping with compassion over Jerusalem.
  • Luke 10:17-21. Celebration and joy at God working in the disciples’ lives and ministry.
  • Mark 10:14. Indignant with the disciples.
  • Matthew 26. Sorrow, distress, loneliness, perhaps even fear in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Scripture tells us that Jesus is the “image of the invisible God,” (Col. 1:15) and that anyone who has seen Jesus “has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) That means what we see in Jesus’ emotions, tells us something important about God.
• If we believe that spiritual maturity means becoming “more like God,” then what we believe about God’s emotions matters enormously.
• Our emotions are not a flaw in the design, a weakness, or a sin. Emotions are a God-given gift, meant to move us and give us important information about what is happening in our inner world and outer circumstances.

• Will you join my Audiobook Launch Team?
  • I am so excited to announce that the audiobook for The Wisdom of Your Heart is finally done. The plan is to launch at the end of March. If you live online–Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram–I would LOVE to have your help getting the word out. The commitment is short — just 6 weeks through March and the first two weeks of April. I’ll provide lots of content — memes, images, videos, text — that you can share. I can’t do this alone! If The Wisdom of Your Heart has been meaningful to you, and you’re comfy online, would you be willing to help? Email me at marc@marcalanschelske.com and you’re in.

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