Permission to feel

I have recently been reading this book by Matthew Elliott titled feel: the power of listening to your heart. The theme of the book is understanding the Bible’s teaching on emotions. I have been blessed to have had solid teaching on feelings/emotions in the past, but I still tend to operate out of the traditional teaching of the church. For many of us we have been taught that feelings are bad and are things we should learn to control. Emotional outpourings are only appropriate in socially accepted situations (weddings, funerals, etc.) and even then what is deemed appropriate is limited. We are also taught that the love and joy mentioned in the Bible are a choice not an actual feeling. So we must choose to love those around us or choose to feel joy in our trials. But how untrue!!! Our Father is teeming with real emotion! He truly LOVED us so much that he sent his only Son to die. And because he is a God that loves and feels emotions passionately -- and we are his children created in his image -- he created us to FEEL! Really feel!

I am in no way, shape, or form doing justice to Elliott’s book, but the teachings inside have been profound and truly made me think about how I view emotions and how that has impacted my view of Jesus.

I want to share part of the book that rocked my world today. (The beauty of being snowed in = time to read!) Elliott was talking about the passage in James (1:2-4) where it states “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

So we should consider it joy, when troubles comes….. which I have learned means that we should choose to be joyful even when we don’t feel it.

But listen to Elliott’s response (p.102-103):

"Here’s the thing: It is easier to believe that joy in hard times has nothing to do with our feelings. It is easier to obey the command of Jesus to love our enemies if loving has nothing to do with God really changing our hearts. The Christian life is easier to conduct when it is separated from real emotional heart change.

Emotional transformation is hard, and for most people it’s easier to avoid it. Why?

I think in part it’s a lack of faith – faith that God is big enough to provide for us the fully emotionally spiritual life he promises. When we keep God in the realm of rational thought, separate from other parts of our lives, we don’t have to test his greatness. When we make our spiritual lives dependent on our duties and lists, we don’t have to trust God to be as awesome as he claims he is or trust him to do hard things like give us real joy in suffering.

By barring God from the real emotional places of our lives, we rob him of his power. It’s as if we tell him, “God you won’t do this in my life, I just know you won’t. I can’t have joy in this difficult tragedy. You won’t be big enough to bring me to a place of contentment. I’m afraid you’ll disappoint me or fail me, and I can’t take that chance.” In this, we keep God small.

There is great sin here – the sin of denying that God is powerful enough to break through our greatest struggles and trails – the prisons of our daily lives – and lead us out singing, with uplifted hand and full-hearted joy.

So it is harder to have the Big Faith that God can bring real emotional joy through pain. And it’s hard to believe that in our very moments of struggle, our lives can be more emotionally alive than we have ever felt before.

Yet, this is what God is promising us.”

May the Father grant us a life teeming with emotions – for you have permission to Feel. And may that feeling be another avenue to his presence and his glory! For only he could provide us true joy in the midst of pain.

Teacher

I love the fact that our Father loves to teach – and not only that He loves it, but He is brilliant at it! As I continue to walk through life here in Nashville I have been blown away by the lessons that the Father pours out. I remember this moment I had prior to leaving Tuscaloosa when I asked the Lord “What I am going to do when I don’t have my mentors and pastors in my life anymore?” He calmly and gently replied “Rachele, all knowledge in heaven and earth comes from me. Don’t you realize that the truths and lessons that you have learned from these men and women came because of my revelation? These men and women have been effective because they have allowed themselves to be used. Do not fear. One of two things will happen: (1) I will provide another teacher or (2) I will teach you myself.” WOW! Needless to say I was humbled by this proclamation from the Lord. How quickly I forget the One who created the knowledge and wisdom that I hold dear! So whether through the revelation of other people or through the Father himself I will be posting some lessons that I have learned and some I am still thinking through. May He continue to bless us with his presence and draw near to our desperate hearts!