Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Feelings

Have you ever thought about God having feelings? Too trite or insignificant or maybe too disrespectful? Why? Put away those reactions and think about the question - there is a reason. Do you believe the Triune God has feelings?

   "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin]. [Ephesians 4:30]

   " Jesus wept." [John 11:35 and don't forget His anger when He threw out the money changers - Matthew 21:12-13] His suffering over Lazarette's death, etc.  

   "for you shall not worship any other god; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]" [Exodus 34:14]

Let me suggest a reason. Grieve, Please, Wept, Anger, Jealous. Impassioned... aren't those feelings? If you can entertain the thought that God does have feelings. Then if you study how He expresses them can give clues to how we should react? Just another 'ponderable'? Quite honestly... feelings get a bad rap. It isn't the feelings that shouldn't be expressed, it's the expression. How should we express our feelings?

Denying your feelings is never good... they end up seeping out at times that are not our choosing and typically to the wrong person. I believe it is critical to acknowledge the feeling because it will seek to control every aspect that you are experiencing and typically not for the good. It's almost like they are saying - "if you won't face the feelings I'm going to express them in my way". So why don't we face our feelings? Fear of rejection? Fear that we're wrong? Embarrassment? Those begin the litany of our excuses not to acknowledge and deal with the emotion.

I would also suggest that you consider doing the acknowledgement and consequences by yourself first. It really doesn't matter if you are right or wrong at this moment, or if the 'slight' or whatever caused your reaction is legitimate. When you feel what you feel... a denial is never the best path to resolution. If you try and push down what you feel, or deny that you are feeling what you feel - what do you accomplish? Why go through all that pain and struggle when the end result isn't one that you are wanting?

To repeat... feelings are what they are. It's our expression that is the issue. And behind the expression are our motives. If we want to cause hurt - we will, and the result of this behavior/expression? If we try and be stoic - even we don't believe us. Look to scripture to discover how to express the negative - good, bad, indifferent, accurate, childish, etc. - that is the goal. 

But don't just focus on the negative feelings. How do you express your positive or joyful feelings. Never let it be an 'I told you so'. Your feelings of excitement or accomplishment should be expressed as long as you aren't taking all the glory. I have always found it fascinating that what should be a joyful expression of a positive feeling including others in the happiness can go amiss too. It's all about motives.

Back to the first question - does the Triune God have feelings. GotQuestions responds to this question: 

   "To deny God’s emotions is to deny that He possesses personality. ... This isn’t to say that our emotions and those of God are exactly the same. We sometimes speak of our emotions “clouding our judgment” because our sinful nature has corrupted our emotions. But God has no sin, and His emotions are incorruptible. For example, there is a vast difference between human anger and divine anger. Human anger is volatile, subjective, and too often out of control (Proverbs 14:29; 15:18; James 1:20). God’s anger is rooted in divine justice. God’s anger is perfectly righteous and predictable, never capricious or malicious. In His anger, He never sins."

Don't blame your feelings - change your expressions. Revenge, it is said, is a dish best served cold. And many times the feeling is revenge which never has ever accomplished anything. 

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