Holistic Health, part five

Emotions continued...

Now, let me share some of the truth we have learned through general revelation about human emotion. Some people are born more emotional than others.

There are at least 3 qualities that we are born with. These are qualities that are genetic. They manifest themselves very early in life. In fact, they show up in the first few days of life. These qualities are: Activity level, sociability, and emotionality.

Some have more and some have less of each. Some people are innately more emotional than others. They experience more emotions and do so more intensely.

Now, we are not victims of this genetic tendency. We are moldable and pliable. But during our earliest days, we learn how to deal with our emotions through our interactions with our parents/caregivers. It would take years of study to discuss how this might occur. But let me just say that, for example, if someone is born more emotional and his parents discourage emotional reactions, his emotional reactions might be lessened. If his parents encourage emotional expression, his emotions might be increased.

As parents, we need to teach our children how to deal with their emotions. My wife was great at teaching our kids “emotions modulation”, which are ways of controlling our emotions rather than being controlled by them.

If we reach adulthood without this ability, we can still learn. We are not victims of our upbringing. But change has to come from within. We can help each other by providing an environment that fosters growth, but each of us has to go through the process himself.

How do we learn to appropriately deal with emotion? Anger, fear, sadness, depression, anxiety…?

• Start with the body issues we talked about before. Are you getting enough sleep, proper nutrition, and exercise?
• Rehearse what the Bible teaches us about emotion, via example and imperative. (see part four)
  
• Be honest about our feelings, at least with God. The Psalms are full of this. (Ps. 56, 23, 139, 5, etc) This also involves assessing whether or not our emotions are warranted. Are our emotions, especially anger, sadness, and fear, appropriate for the situation? It is appropriate to fear something that can bring you harm (a fall from a great height, snakes, poisonous spiders, God!) It is appropriate to be sad when you lose a loved one or have a hope dashed.
• Share with a trusted confidant.
• Write in a feelings journal.
  
• Rehearse the truth of God's sovereignty (Dan. 5.23...God has in His control your very breath and all your ways.)
  

Many men suffer under the delusion that if they express emotions (e. g. sadness or fear) they will be less manly. But clearly, there is no man manlier than the God-Man and he experienced and expressed both!

In review, emotions are God given and allow us a unique opportunity. If we experience our emotions in appropriate ways at appropriate times, we will be reflecting something more of God's nature to the world, thus bringing Him more glory!

Next time, the Will.

Holistic Health, part four

We have discussed ways to measure our body’s need for rest, nutrition, and exercise in order to be more reflective of God’s nature and hence to glorify God more.

Today we look at Emotion

Experts in General Revelation tell us that there are at least 6 basic human emotions: happy, sad, angry, scared, disgusted, and surprised.

As with all the other issues (mind, will, body) our emotions are reflections and imitations of God’s emotions. They MUST be if they are to glorify Him.

Let’s look at God’s expressions of each of these emotions.

Was/is God ever happy? Luke 12.32…God was well pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 15.7…Joy in heaven over one saved “sheep”. One of my favorites is in Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst; He is a warrior who can deliver. He takes great delight in you; renews you by His love ; He shouts for joy over you.”

Was/is God ever sad? Luke 19.41, Jesus wept over Jerusalem; John 11.35, Jesus wept at Lazarus’ grave

Was/is God ever angry? Ps. 5.5 God is angry with the wicked every day; John 2.15, Jesus was obviously angry with the money changers

Was/is God ever scared? Heb. 5.7 Jesus was heard because He feared…but not the kind of fear that causes one to run away, like phobia, but the kind that cause one to run toward God! Luke 22.39-44 “Father, let this cup pass…nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done

Was/is God ever disgusted? Gen. 6.5-6…God was grieved, insulted, at the actions of mankind, Rev. 3.16 God is so disgusted that He says, "I will vomit you out of my mouth."

Was/is God ever surprised? Probably not. Since it violates the very nature of omniscience. Therefore, surprise may not be truly an emotion. It may be just a startle response, like a reflex. Or maybe an emotion unique to humans, since God, by nature, cannot ever be surprised.

Since God experienced these emotions and obviously never sinned, then there must be ways for us to experience each of these emotions and an appropriate way to respond to them.

We see several principles regarding emotional expression:

• God expressed emotion at appropriate times
  
• God expressed emotion at appropriate levels (no over expression or under expression)
  
• God was not afraid of or embarrassed by His emotions
  
• God expressed His emotions, most often, verbally. But He also showed them non-verbally
  
• God never got stuck in an emotion, but lived through it to the other side

More on emotion next time...

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