Emotions are weird. Great opener, I know. Stick with me.
Emotions are weird. Different occurrences throughout the day triggering changes in our brain chemistry. When you ask just about anyone you know how they are, they won’t usually reply with a legitimate emotion, they’ll just say “good”. I think that, because of the frequency of this, I thought for a long time that “good” was an emotion. And even more than that, I believed that “good” was the emotion that should be felt most often. This is a pretty common theme amongst most people today.
When forcing myself to be “good” failed, I would usually wander into the “bad” emotions: frustration, stress, annoyance, or anger. My “good” didn’t vary very much, and my “bad” was quickly dismissed and forcibly turned into “good”.
Basically, I didn’t let myself feel, and, more importantly, I didn’t look for the cause of any emotions that happened to slip through my concrete barrier of “good”.
The thing about doing that is it can create a long-lasting metaphorical happy drama mask that’s stuck on your face.
Like the one on the left. It’s creepy, and it’s fake, and it’s obviously not representative of the many emotions one can have.
The mask deflects anything that comes its way that isn’t “good”. Nothing touches what’s inside (me). I fall into a pit of numbness. Nothing hurts. Nothing causes real joy. Everything is just “good”.
Our main man God up in Heaven doesn’t want us to be “good”. He wants us to cry, laugh, praise, smile, grimace, sigh, move, and breath all for His glory. Like it says in Ecclesiastes 3, “There is a time for everything…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” Our joy is meant to glorify the Lord, for all good things come from Him. Our sadness, stress, anger, etc. can be used to highlight areas of our lives that need change or areas that we need to invite God into.
The most important thing when experiencing an emotion is to ask God why you’re feeling that way. The more you do this, the more attuned you can be to your mind and the way you process the world around you. You can also recognize when your anger is completely uncalled for and you need to cool it. I’ve definitely been told that by God before. If you ask “why?” and don’t feel confident in the response, ask again. And again. Ask for knowledge/wisdom, and you shall receive. In Ephesians 4:26-27 it says “Be angry and do not sin’ do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” So, be angry. Don’t let your anger drive your actions. Ask God why you’re angry and let Him help you resolve it. Then, go to bed. Not angry. This can apply to any emotion that might negatively affect your actions toward others. Having emotions = good. Letting them seep into your heart and make your words or actions negative = not good.
Numbness sucks. It doesn’t feel like it does when you’re consumed by it, but eventually when you break free, it’s pretty clear. I challenge you all to look at your life today and think about whether you’re just gliding through life feeling “good”, or if you’re actually taking time to reflect on the emotions that God gave you the ability to feel.
Let me know your thoughts on this subject. I’ve found that a lot of people use things like phones, books, Netflix, food, constant companionship, complete isolation, and more to keep the numbness going because it’s “easier”. It’s been a hard process trying to break free of that, and I’m definitely still going through it, but it’s real great guys. It’s like that song that says “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,” but instead of rain it’s numbness that consumes your whole being. Woah.
Also! Just a reminder, I still have my Adopt-A-Box fundraiser going! If all the boxes are crossed off, I will have met my final deadline! And, once 40 of the 75 boxes get adopted, I’ll have a drawing to see who wins some fun souvenirs from the four countries I’m going to! Four winners, and one of them could be youuuu! Here’s an updated picture of what boxes are crossed off:
I thank you all for your continued support and wonderful comments on my blogs. It’s the highlight of my week to check the comments and see what you guys think. I’m almost one month done with the trip, so there’s still so much I’m going to learn and experience. Come along for the journey, friends 🙂
THIS WEEK’S BONUS PICS
We’ve had so many different kinds of opportunities to serve at COVI, one of our ministries. We have gardened, played with the kids, and painted a fun little sidewalk game for them. It’s been amazing to build relationships with the kids and also to spend time as a team working in the sun. It builds character 😉
