Messy Emotions And The Security Of Jesus
If the heart is deceitful, what place do emotions have in the lives of believers?
I have been taught that my emotions are fickle and can not be trusted. I felt that if I just had a greater belief in God then my negative emotions would disappear — but actually, attempting to spiritualize my emotions away by simply praying or reading the Bible ends up stunting both emotional and spiritual growth. My heart is tainted by sin, of course, but could there be a way to understand my feelings — the words of my soul — as necessary to interpret in order to grow in my relationship with Jesus? The answer is Yes!
The book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero has been incredibly impactful for me. Peter served as a pastor for decades before he realized that he was functioning as an emotional infant, as he had never fully dealt with past or current pain. Peter had learned to push his feelings away, which proved disastrous in his marriage, his walk with the Lord, and his ministry. His book is the inspiration for this short article, which serves to unpack how emotional health and spiritual health are deeply intertwined, with the life of Jesus as our model.
The Emotions of Jesus
Feelings are not inherently sinful, and they are one way that God wired human beings to uniquely image him. In his humanity, Jesus experienced anxiety, anger, shame, sadness, exhaustion, sorrow, and joy. He loved people well, yet maintained boundaries. Jesus listened, but wasn’t shaken by the fear and anxiety of those around him. He experienced fear himself to the point of sweating blood, but still prayed “Thy will be done.” He allowed himself to feel the full weight of his emotions but also was not controlled by them. Jesus is not surprised by even the messiest of your feelings as he knows what it is like to be human.
A Secured Identity
Jesus was the most emotionally and spiritually healthy human to walk the earth. How did he do it? Throughout his time on earth, Jesus remained completely secure in his identity as God’s son, and he was able to withstand a great deal of stress. When Jesus was baptized, his Father spoke from Heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”(Matthew 3:17). Jesus clung to this identity and trusted that he was fully accepted by his Father, even in most difficult, painful and confusing times during his life on earth.
Because of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, God is also well pleased with us. In John 17:23, Jesus prays for his disciples and future believers, that the world would know that the Father has “loved them even as you have loved me.” As Christians, we are co-heirs with Christ. Not only that, but “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). My fickle and often deceitful heart does not dictate God’s love for me or who I am in Christ (thank goodness!). May we never forget our true identity as blood-bought, adopted daughters in the family of God. The love of Christ controls us (2 Corinthians 5:12) and anchors us, not our feelings.
Conclusion
It is impossible to grow spiritually while neglecting emotional health. The two must grow together. May we avoid censoring our emotions before God, while also avoiding the worship of them. Christ models how to feel deeply but believe even more deeply that we are God’s beloved children. Only then may we grow as both spiritually and emotionally mature image-bearers and children of God.