Feelings are the energy of motivation. They inspire us, compel us, push us, encourage us, they bring us down and they lift us up. Feelings are typically likened to "a weather" whereas a person's mood could be seen as "the climate" where emotions arise. This "climate" describes what kind of weather (read: emotions, reactions, responses) is typical for a person but, as we all know so well (this may surprise): one can sometimes experience a really hot day in Finland — even though it's not that common! (the science of motivation goes a lot deeper than I mentioned in this paragraph! just saying, it's complex and fascinating!) Why is it important to understand your own feelings? More than being our motivators (for the good and the bad) they help us make decisions and build intimacy. Emotions are from God. He created them. He made us into His own image so emotions didn't just "happen" but the ability to experience them was purposefully crafted into our hearts. We can see Jesus be a pretty emotional guy! I limit my observations to him, for when we see Jesus, we've seen our Father who really, really cares for us. Jesus CRIED when Lazarus died and was sad over the loss of his friend (women like men that show their feelings yes!), he rejoiced when he was happy (like: At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. Luke 10:21.), he got angry when the pharisees were misrepresenting the Kingdom of God, he was loving towards children and women and he expressed compassion without shame. Jesus definitely was moved by what he saw. Emotions are spontaneous. We cannot strategically plan to have them but actors can fake them. Certain environments can stir them up but we can decide to numb them down. A loving act towards me arouses feelings of being noticed, cherished and valued. (Yes, feelings are a fundamental part of expressing and receiving love but there's more to love than the feeling that follows. Love is a very vulnerable, sacrificial decision to be made.) On the other hand, a violent act toward someone can bring that person such pain that they can shut down if they aren't able to process it. Feelings are a precious gift from God! Crying-sadness and laughter-joy are two of the most powerful whole body emotional responses we use daily to process and express what's going on inside us. Positive emotions do more than provide psychological comfort, however. According to University College of London’s Sophie K. Scott and colleagues (2014): I find it fascinating that some Finnish researchers found what happens in our body when we feel different emotions! (Science Daily) All the above is important and good to know about emotions — but the truth has a deeper, beautiful, relieving (!) dimension to it: we are led by the Spirit, not by emotions and feelings. The truth that God loves me doesn't change whether I feel it or not. Haha! That's GOOD news. The Holy Spirit moving is more than a hype. The Holy Spirit leading is not always fun either, sorry. :D Few months after I came to Redding I saw a dream where I had a battle inside of me. In the dream I consciously decided to set the Spirit of God in the throne of my life and to be led by the Spirit. In that encounter I submitted myself to Jesus' Lordship in my life: I surrendered my will to His and it required an intentional decision that didn't "just happen" (this goes to the category "experiences impossible to explain with words"). I'm yet to fully understand what that meant but after that day I've felt it easier to practice spiritual disciplines in my life. In the morning after I found myself just flowing in prayer and wondered how easy it was! What matters is Who leads me and Who gets to influence and fuel my heart where the emotions are born. Emotions can be trained for unrighteousness in which case they can start leading us away from Christ OR they can be cultivated in a redeemed heart for righteousness... when they eventually will serve our well-being and the Kingdom of God! Many people spend their lives being guided by their feelings. When their feelings change they are convinced their heart has changed. But feelings are rooted in emotion, not truth. A virtuous person lives out of their convictions and expects their feelings to follow. Feelings are great servants but terrible masters. If you stop following them, they will follow you. // Kris Vallotton I have an exercise for you to develop healthy self-awareness! This will help you to pay attention to RED FLAGS (such like loneliness, unworthiness, shame, rejection, powerlessness...) that can trigger behavior that you don't wish, such like finding yourself browsing porn sites in search of intimacy? Binge eating to fill up emptiness? Love the journey of getting to know your heart! You have been given a NEW one and it's time to discover what makes your heart flourish. Ah, I'm glad to share these things with you that I have been learning and have found really beneficial over the past year. Check yourself when waking up/leaving the house/coming back home/going to bed/whenever. 1. How am I feeling? 2. Why am I feeling like that? 3. What happened? 4. Ask the Holy Spirit what to do with the information you become aware of. Becoming conscious of your "normal" helps you to meet your needs in a healthy way! It helps you to not to punish yourself for being a human, to love yourself and to love Jesus and your neighbor with all your heart. xoxoxoxo
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