Charles F. Stanley - Becoming Emotionally Whole: Change Your Thoughts to Be Happier and Healthier

Learning: What should I do with my emotions?

Growing: What is the purpose of emotions?

How are you feeling? We usually ask that particular question about a persons physical health, yet it is an equally valid question to ask about a persons emotional state of being. Each of us has an emotional state of well-being that is just as vital to our overall wholeness as our physical or spiritual well-being. You cannot be a whole person in Christ Jesus if you are in bondage to your emotions or in denial of them.

I meet many people who try to deny they have an emotional response to the situations they encounter. They seem to believe that it is weak for a person to cry, a flaw for a person to feel anger to express disappointment, or a lack of self-control for a person to laugh aloud. Such people are missing out on the fullness of what it means to be alive.

An expression of emotion is part of what makes us human. Emotions are a gift of God, who created each of us with a capacity to feel and to express them. Furthermore, emotions are vital to our ability to communicate to others the uniqueness of our personalities. They are also a means of responding to God, to other people, and to life in general.

However, the problem is that many people dont know how to express their emotions in healthful ways that promote good relationships with friends and family members. Learning how to deal with ones emotions is a vital skill. We need to understand how to direct them toward good outcomes, express them without sinning, and give voice to our emotions in order to improve our communication with friends, family members, and others in our world.

Some people allow themselves to have a free-flowing emotional response to life and have learned to control their emotions, but they are uncomfortable talking about the way they feel. Learning how to tell others what you are feeling is a part of becoming a mature person. It is a skill that is critical to the development of adult-to-adult relationships.

Wherever you are on the spectrum of emotional growthfrom denial to full expressionJesus wants you to have emotional health. He wants you to express emotions in the way He created them to be expressed. He wants you to admit to emotions, to know how to control them and use them in right ways, and to discuss your emotional responses with others.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.... A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4). What is a particular season of life that you are in right now? What type of emotions is that bringing to the surface for you?

[Your Response Here]

In what areas have you struggled with certain emotions in the past? How do you feel about expressing your emotions? About discussing your emotions with others?