“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Never avoid feeling. Never avoid feeling loved, accepted, joyful, sad, rejected, confused, lost, etc. Only make a part of you those feelings that are true. But, even a momentary feeling of something dark may help you understand and lead someone else to a better place.” – Journey of the Talmid
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
Sad songs make me cry and I listen to them on purpose. Some people listen to emotionally charged music because it gives them an outlet to the feelings that are bottled up inside them. But that’s not me. I’m not a sad person. So, why do I listen to sad songs? Because I am discovering it is important to feel things others experience.
I am a slow starter in the morning. I have to gradually get my brain and body moving, kind of like an old tractor that has a precise five-step process to start. My routine begins with lying awake in bed. I, then, read some news and scripture. That completed I get up, wander around the house, fix my tea, and stare out the window. This may take up to an hour (sometimes even longer), depending on my schedule. After all this is completed, I take a shower and start the day. So, why is this important?
Because often when I begin this morning ritual, I feel very discouraged. I am overwhelmed with the duties and projects of the day. I worry that I have forgotten things that need to be done. I, also, wonder if I am hearing God’s voice or just my own weird thoughts and ideas. I deal with all of this when I wake up. Fortunately, it doesn’t last and my discouragement lifts. I begin to see how I can get stuff accomplished. and realize that God will get me through the day. The day is not nearly as bleak as it seemed in the previous hour.
I have had this “morning feeling” for years. I have tried to treat it as an enemy and purge it. I know that just because I feel a certain way doesn’t make that feeling true. My faith reminds me that I am God’s dearly loved child, and He will walk with me through whatever comes my way. But this struggle has been unexpectedly beneficial, and I have learned something from the experience. I know the feeling of discouragement and I can empathize with those that struggle with it.
The passage from 2 Corinthians 1 above states that we have the blessing of God’s comfort during difficult times. But it also states that the blessing of that comfort is not just for us. We are to take it and be God’s conduit of comfort to those around us. We share what we have been given. I think God allows me to experience different feelings, in part, that I might be able to understand what others are going through and to be a conduit of His comfort to hurting people. When I experience rejection, loneliness, or fear God is helping to prepare me to care for those that truly feel rejected, afraid, or alone.
It some ways this can be dangerous stuff. It can be hard to experience a feeling without making it a part of me (my appropriation of Aristotle’s above quote). I live in a sin-corrupted world that desires to pile on falsehoods and lies that don’t belong to me. But God is wise, and I can trust Him to walk me through this “emotions bootcamp” if it will better help me to help others.
I encourage you to not own every emotion you experience. Feelings do not equate with truth. But I wonder if God is doing in you what I sense He is doing in me, giving us a taste of other’s struggles to better care for them. Don’t refuse feelings. Receive and experience them in the light of God’s work in your life so that you may be a help to others.
