Ah, emotions. The most wonderful, terrible, beautiful and ridiculous things in the world. Those fickle feelings that sometimes defy logic, reason and circumstance are the rockets strapped to our back when we happen to be wearing roller skates, the ACME anvil dropped on us from out of nowhere to flatten us like pancakes, just like Wile E. Coyote. Yet all of our emotions, even the kind that don’t feel so great, have meaning and purpose. It’s perfectly normal to feel anger, sadness, jealousy, depression, euphoria and everything in between – even in the course of a single day. It’s how we handle those emotions that really matters.
Why do we feel? The scientific answer has to do with neurons firing and hormones flooding, but the purposes that feelings serve are much more nebulous. Emotions don’t make us physically stronger. They don’t increase our intelligence or lead us to make particularly good decisions. But there’s a much deeper meaning behind them. Emotions are a way of allowing us to connect with our soul. They provide us an opportunity to choose the path that God wants us to follow.
When we experience a particularly powerful emotion, it’s hard not to give in to it. But many times, we need to try. Instead of feeling ashamed of our emotions or letting them control us, try giving them up to God. If there’s someone who can understand emotions and the spirit bubbling within, it’s Him. He is always there to help carry us through to a better understanding of our thoughts and feelings, and, through His help, we are able to choose the best way to react.
Emotions, while frustrating and overwhelming at times, serve a very special purpose in life: They give us meaning and depth. We’re not robots, hot-wired by natural selection to survive, thrive, multiply and die. We feel. We experience the majesty of life and creation, and we become moved by it. Every picture that ever made you smile, every movie that ever made you cry and every poem that ever inspired you are all products of emotion. Emotions give the world color. They make us three-dimensional. Unique. Special.
Whenever you feel sadness, joy, anger or elation, remember to take a step back and try to understand the deeper meaning behind whatever you might be feeling. Our emotions can be beautiful and silly. They can be wonderful and terrible. They also can draw us closer to our faith and provide us comfort knowing God can feel with us. We all go a little mad sometimes, and that’s OK, because we are not alone.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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