I'm willing to bet that someone read the title of this and immediately got offended. Calm down; it's not what you think. Well, maybe it is, but hear me out. Have you ever had someone say, "Oh, you're just being emotional," or "Stop being so emotional," or "Why are you so sensitive"? I'm sure there are many of us who have had a friend, family member, co-worker or leader say this to you at some point, but I'd just like to say I GIVE YOU FULL PERMISSION TO BE EMOTIONAL.
We are emotional beings, because God is an emotional being. Everything God creates reveals an aspect of His nature. Each one of us was uniquely created to express an aspect of the Lord that no one else can express. So if we have emotions, then so does God. I'm not saying that God is swayed or led by emotions or that every emotion we experience is "of the Lord" but he does have and experience them, as do we. Otherwise, we would just be flipping robots and that's not how God created us. He wanted a people He could have relationship with, a people that would partner with Him to release His nature and kingdom over the earth and part of that nature has to do with emotions.
I'd like to share one of the activities we did this week at BCA (Bethel Conservatory of the Arts), which is where I'm completing my third-year internship. While I'm not actually attending the school, as an intern for one of the founders, I do get to participate in some of the classes and activities, which is a huge blessing, because I've already experienced the freedom in it. Anyway, back to the activity. We're in a room with almost everyone, about 30-ish people including students, interns, and staff, and one of our leaders sits in a chair and makes every single person take a turn walking from where they're sitting to the middle of the room, stand and face him, and tell him 1. our name 2. who we are and 3. what we love about ourselves. Some of you just totally freaked out about the idea of having to do that. I did too...at least a little, but there was so much transparency and safety in the room, it was one of the easiest things I've ever done.
My turn came, and I immediately winced and walked to the middle of the room. "Go back and do it again," my mentor said. My "walk" wasn't fully present and with confidence, so if he feels we're not bringing all of ourselves, we get the lovely opportunity to do it over. So I go back, walk to the middle of the room like I actually know and like myself, stare him in the eyes and tell him, "I'm Melody Dawn Henderson" (ya'll, that is breakthrough in itself, because I've never liked my middle name - sorry Dad, but thanks for naming me anyway), "I am a daughter of a good Daddy (God)" and "I feel deeply, which means I love deeply and I also hurt deeply, but I'm ok with that, because I get to experience the heart of Father God for people." A few tears started to come, but I had already cried for everyone else in the room that by this point there wasn't much left.
I've never had so much freedom with being ok with myself than in that moment. I had been told over the years that I was too emotional, or that I was just being emotional, or to stop being emotional and that things weren't a big deal or that we shouldn't be emotional because as a Christian I shouldn't be led by emotions, but I've learned that there is a HUGE difference between being emotional and being led by emotions, and it's time that we stop telling others and believing about ourselves that having emotions is bad...that is one of the biggest lies I've encountered throughout my life, which has actually caused me to shut down over the years and not share myself with people around me, because if I can't share or show my emotions, then what can I share of myself that will be "acceptable"?
I realized this week (and really over this last year) that it's totally fine for me to "be emotional" - that's how we were created; we experience, display and share the emotional heart of God (some more than others). And while it's perfectly fine to show emotions, there is also the balance to not be led or taken over by them. Our emotions are real, and we're meant to feel them, because they're a clue as to what's going on inside of us, but it's important to recognize them and then declare THE TRUTH of Jesus and the Word over them, because even though they're real, they're not always true. For example, maybe you feel really anxious. Take a minute to recognize it, and then let anxiety know that "the peace of God passes all understanding." Maybe you're feeling super sad or even depressed. You can acknowledge that, and then tell your heart, "hey, we belong to a kingdom of light and this has no power over me." Sometimes "negative" feelings are also a clue to things in our life. We can start to feel these things because we're stressed or we're not making time for our needs, so we need to take time to do that, and other times it's spiritual. Emotions are just an invitation to journey further and deeper with Jesus. Maybe you are easily excitable and experience a lot of joy and excitement over things and someone has told you to tone it down or calm down. You can recognize that there's something in that person that is offended, and that's actually their problem, but you're going choose to realize this aspect about you that God has placed in you and be totally ok with, because God gets super excited about His kids and their lives, so you're actually just displaying that part of God's heart.
Be ok with who you are and the way you experience and express emotions, but also decide to go on a journey with Holy Spirit about how to manage your emotions by speaking Truth over them without shutting them down. Everything is held in tension and it's all a balancing act, but it's time to start having fun and enjoying it as an exploration with the Lord instead of feeling condemned and ashamed about who we are and how we're made. Give yourself to permission to be you.
In the wise words of Dr. Seuss, "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
So today decide to just be you, and be ok with all of you.
We are emotional beings, because God is an emotional being. Everything God creates reveals an aspect of His nature. Each one of us was uniquely created to express an aspect of the Lord that no one else can express. So if we have emotions, then so does God. I'm not saying that God is swayed or led by emotions or that every emotion we experience is "of the Lord" but he does have and experience them, as do we. Otherwise, we would just be flipping robots and that's not how God created us. He wanted a people He could have relationship with, a people that would partner with Him to release His nature and kingdom over the earth and part of that nature has to do with emotions.
I'd like to share one of the activities we did this week at BCA (Bethel Conservatory of the Arts), which is where I'm completing my third-year internship. While I'm not actually attending the school, as an intern for one of the founders, I do get to participate in some of the classes and activities, which is a huge blessing, because I've already experienced the freedom in it. Anyway, back to the activity. We're in a room with almost everyone, about 30-ish people including students, interns, and staff, and one of our leaders sits in a chair and makes every single person take a turn walking from where they're sitting to the middle of the room, stand and face him, and tell him 1. our name 2. who we are and 3. what we love about ourselves. Some of you just totally freaked out about the idea of having to do that. I did too...at least a little, but there was so much transparency and safety in the room, it was one of the easiest things I've ever done.
My turn came, and I immediately winced and walked to the middle of the room. "Go back and do it again," my mentor said. My "walk" wasn't fully present and with confidence, so if he feels we're not bringing all of ourselves, we get the lovely opportunity to do it over. So I go back, walk to the middle of the room like I actually know and like myself, stare him in the eyes and tell him, "I'm Melody Dawn Henderson" (ya'll, that is breakthrough in itself, because I've never liked my middle name - sorry Dad, but thanks for naming me anyway), "I am a daughter of a good Daddy (God)" and "I feel deeply, which means I love deeply and I also hurt deeply, but I'm ok with that, because I get to experience the heart of Father God for people." A few tears started to come, but I had already cried for everyone else in the room that by this point there wasn't much left. I've never had so much freedom with being ok with myself than in that moment. I had been told over the years that I was too emotional, or that I was just being emotional, or to stop being emotional and that things weren't a big deal or that we shouldn't be emotional because as a Christian I shouldn't be led by emotions, but I've learned that there is a HUGE difference between being emotional and being led by emotions, and it's time that we stop telling others and believing about ourselves that having emotions is bad...that is one of the biggest lies I've encountered throughout my life, which has actually caused me to shut down over the years and not share myself with people around me, because if I can't share or show my emotions, then what can I share of myself that will be "acceptable"?
I realized this week (and really over this last year) that it's totally fine for me to "be emotional" - that's how we were created; we experience, display and share the emotional heart of God (some more than others). And while it's perfectly fine to show emotions, there is also the balance to not be led or taken over by them. Our emotions are real, and we're meant to feel them, because they're a clue as to what's going on inside of us, but it's important to recognize them and then declare THE TRUTH of Jesus and the Word over them, because even though they're real, they're not always true. For example, maybe you feel really anxious. Take a minute to recognize it, and then let anxiety know that "the peace of God passes all understanding." Maybe you're feeling super sad or even depressed. You can acknowledge that, and then tell your heart, "hey, we belong to a kingdom of light and this has no power over me." Sometimes "negative" feelings are also a clue to things in our life. We can start to feel these things because we're stressed or we're not making time for our needs, so we need to take time to do that, and other times it's spiritual. Emotions are just an invitation to journey further and deeper with Jesus. Maybe you are easily excitable and experience a lot of joy and excitement over things and someone has told you to tone it down or calm down. You can recognize that there's something in that person that is offended, and that's actually their problem, but you're going choose to realize this aspect about you that God has placed in you and be totally ok with, because God gets super excited about His kids and their lives, so you're actually just displaying that part of God's heart.
Be ok with who you are and the way you experience and express emotions, but also decide to go on a journey with Holy Spirit about how to manage your emotions by speaking Truth over them without shutting them down. Everything is held in tension and it's all a balancing act, but it's time to start having fun and enjoying it as an exploration with the Lord instead of feeling condemned and ashamed about who we are and how we're made. Give yourself to permission to be you.In the wise words of Dr. Seuss, "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
So today decide to just be you, and be ok with all of you.
