In our society, we are taught to push down our emotions, to stop feeling them, to ignore them. We’re taught that the only time that we are accepted is when we are happy. We put on a facade of joy. We pretend to be happy all the time, so that no one will know the emotional tornado swirling inside us.
Social media has only made it worse. The desire to compare our lives to everything we see on social media can become overwhelming. We see people living their best lives, looking their best selves. This comparison cycle builds our emotions under the surface, while we continue to only show the best parts on social media.
Our emotions continue to be suppressed. Stirring just under the surface until they bubble over and come out in drastic ways. This is not a good or healthy way to live. So why do so many of us live like this?
In my experience, the Christian community has not always placed a priority on validating people’s emotions and making space for them. I believe that the Christian community needs to change this culture. We need to make room for discussions around mental health and emotions. So that is what I want to try to do today. I want to validate you for any emotions you may be feeling, through the eyes of our saviour, Jesus Christ.
Jesus was 100% human and 100% God. This means that he was completely sinless and he felt all of the emotions that we feel. He walked the Earth, filled with every emotion that you can think but the way he handled these emotions, did not result in sin. This shows that the root emotion that drives our actions is not inherently wrong, it is the way that we express these emotions that leads us to sin. You are not a bad person for feeling. You do not need to hide what you are feeling.
ANGER
Yes, Jesus did get angry. One of the most prominent examples of his anger is in the temple where people were profiting by selling in the temple.
Mark 11:15-17. “On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Jesus saw the people in the temple, in his house, scamming people into overpaying for sacrifices. He was angry, rightfully so. Isn’t that the key? We can be angry. Feeling that is absolutely okay, so long as it is properly motivated. Jesus wasn’t angry because something didn’t go his way, he was angry because people were disrespecting the holiness of the temple. Those are two very different things.
The other important piece of Jesus’ anger is how he handled it. He drove the merchandisers out of the temple. He overturned the tables. And then that was the end of it. They were removed as they were not following God’s law, but Jesus held no grudge. He didn’t obsess over it and allow the anger to overcome him. Our actions, when we are angry, should reflect Jesus’. Jesus doesn’t lash out in a way that will harm other people, he stays kind.
SADNESS
The shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35 “Jesus wept”. This verse comes right after Jesus was told that his friend Lazarus has died. He was overcome by sadness and wept. Jesus had a plan, he knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, yet he still wept. He still felt the sadness. He still allowed that sadness to enter his life at that moment.
It’s important to remember that we are allowed to feel sadness, even if there’s a solution coming. Being sad is not something to be ashamed of. It is not a feeling that we need to hide. Jesus wept openly. He did not hide the fact that he was sad. Let’s follow Jesus’ lead and stop pushing down our sadness. Instead, allow yourself to embrace those emotions and feel them fully.
HAPPINESS
I know some people may be confused that happiness is on this list, but I felt it was important to include this. While it is absolutely okay to feel all of those negative emotions, it’s also okay to not be feeling those right now. Happiness is a beautiful thing to feel. You get to be happy.
There are so many instances where Jesus experiences happiness throughout his life, but I’ll keep it down to one.
Luke 10:21 “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do”.
He praised God, thanked him for the children. He was filled with joy through the Holy Spirit. We can do that too. We can ask God for joy, we can praise him for every good thing. Feeling joy is necessary to our lives. Embrace that feeling.
FEAR
The final emotion that I want to speak to is fear. I’ve heard is said that the Bible says “fear not” 365 times. While I’m not sure if that’s exactly true, I do know that the command ‘fear not’, or any variation of that, is all over the Bible. Obviously God knew the power that fear would hold over our lives.
As Jesus was preparing to go to the cross, he spent some time as Gethsemane praying, crying out to God. “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44). Jesus was filled with fear, worry, and anxiety to the point that he bled through his pores. He knew he was going to the cross, and he was scared.
I think that when we feel scared about things, especially things that God has called us to, we feel like we’re not good enough. We worry that we’re not allowed to feel scared. That is not true. We can feel scared when we are called to things that are outside of our comfort zone. But it is important to remember that being scared does not mean that we don’t go do the thing. Bring your fear to God, just like Jesus did. Let him help you work through it, so that you can do the big things that he has planned for you.
These are the 4 main emotions that I want to touch on today, but I know there are so many more. Whatever you are feeling, know that you don’t have to hide it. Embrace those emotions, let yourself feel them freely.
You can be a Christian and still feel your emotions, in whatever way you need to.
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