Emotion is a movement. Emotion is a state of feeling. Emotion is an experienced reaction.

Emotion is good. Emotion is dangerous.

EMOTION IS DANGEROUS

I’m a man. I’ve heard that men often have a hard time understanding and expressing their emotions. I can relate. I like control.

It seems to me that emotion often undermines control, not to mention peace and comfort. Emotion can be embarrassing. I don’t want to weep in sorrow. I don’t want to panic. I don’t want to explode in anger and regret it.

I think, “I don’t have the energy to feel that much today!”

“Let’s be reasonable,” I say. “Let’s not get carried away.”

Staying calm feels safer. Isn’t that the wartime saying, “Keep Calm and Carry On.”

Certainly, there is something to be said for self-control with regard to our emotions. Self-control is a virtue and wise, often.

I get nervous when I’m around people who say their number one value is “being authentic.” I’ve seen “authentic” means, “I’m going to be a complete downer whenever I open my mouth.” “I’m going to tell you whatever comes to my mind.” “I express whatever I feel and what I usually feel is awful.”

We shouldn’t just be actors with fake smiles pretending we are living Instagram-worthy lives every second of every day, but neither should we live filterless lives free of restraint.

I read Scripture, often. It has some extremely interesting and diverse insights into emotion. For example, “Fear Not.”

Often God sends a messenger to a person. Perhaps to a group of Shepherds in the middle of the night or a teenage girl betrothed to be married. When this messenger arrives the recipients are scared. Extremely scared. Breathing, heart rate and blood pressure all increase, vital organs are flooded with oxygen, and muscles surge.

The first words out of the messenger’s mouth are “Fear not!”

If I am the recipient I’m thinking, “Why’d you scare me if you didn’t want me to fear?”

Alas, there is something to be said for taking control of our emotions. Sometimes in the most important moments of our lives, we need to “Get a grip!”

EMOTION IS GOOD.

Although emotions are dangerous what if in our chokehold to contain our emotions, we are actually in danger of killing something precious? Perhaps we should make room for a tap-out and let live.

We were made to feel.

Again, I am not always good at this. I occasionally recognise this thanks to the intuitive, more “emotional” people in my life. They are more aware of what others are going through and attuned to situations that I am blind to. They see things and understand things that I often miss in my rigid emotionless logic.

I’ve learned that sometimes emotion can move mountains. It can give you an edge that others lack. Emotion can lift you to accomplish things you’d never do without it.

Athletes know this. Michael Jordan had no buddies on the New York Knicks in the 1990s. Tom Brady is screaming at his teammates from the sidelines. Kobe Bryant is scowling on the basketball court. Ronaldo is dancing in the faces of the opposition after the goal. These guys are harnessing the emotional power of hostility in competition.

Singers sing about it. Love is a fire. We do the craziest stuff when we are “in love.” Do you remember that song, “I’m Gonna Be” by the Proclaimers? They sing, “I would walk 500 miles, And I would walk 500 more, Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles, To fall down at your door…”

Emotions are a force. Can we harness them?

The Hebrew poet says, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul!”

In the New Testament are instructions to “Weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.” Now that is some serious emotional leverage!

Rejoicing is an extraordinary command in Scripture. It begins with “Rejoice in the Lord.” It goes on to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!”

If “Rejoice” is not an emotion word, I don’t know what is.

BOTTOM LINE

I am interested in having the right relationship with my emotions. I don’t want them to control me, but neither do I want to kill them.