Having the Courage to Feel

By John Moore, LCMHC

One of the first books I read in seminary was The Courage to Feel. The book is appropriately titled, as it requires lots of courage to understand our feelings or emotions. Often we discount our emotions or ignore them, causing us to feel depressed or even angry, which is unhealthy and may lead to bitterness. God gave us feelings as a road map to understanding ourselves. Our emotions are intended to enhance our lives, not keep us from experiencing it!

The Gospels' account of Jesus allows us to see that He was divine and human at the same time. He was fully God and fully man. Jesus was an emotional person. Jesus grieved. Jesus was sad. Jesus was happy. Jesus laughed. Jesus told jokes. Jesus was thrilled when his friends got married, had babies, caught a big fish, and so on. He was angry in the temple and flipped over a few tables...how many of us have lost our cool yet did not sin?

The story of Lazarus may give us the best snapshot of Jesus as a divine and emotional human being. Upon arriving at the village of Lazarus to visit with the grieving family of his recently deceased friend, Jesus fully knew he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, but He was present with the emotion of grief. He was present in the moment, and He validated Mary and Martha’s emotions by weeping with them. He values their grief that was about to be transformed by a moment that advanced God's kingdom. Jesus enabled them to grieve in the present.

Here Jesus does not discount the emotion of the moment by moving forward with a miracle; He had the courage to be fully present. If Jesus took the time to sit with his emotions, shouldn’t we? The first step of emotional understanding is recognizing your feelings. 

The meat of life takes place is in the present, the past is fixed, and the future is unknown—which often distorts our present. However, the grace of God permeates the present and provides hope—a hope rooted in the resurrection of Christ. This week, have the courage to be present with your emotions as Jesus did and open the door to understanding yourself.