EMOTIONAL COURAGE

Facing our emotions honestly and openly takes courage, especially when it feels uncomfortable or risky. Emotional courage is about acknowledging the grief, anger, disappointment, and love that we feel inside and being willing to be open about them rather than trying to hide or ignore them. Too often, we try to ignore our emotional discomfort, instead burying it with entertainment. We must be willing to process our emotions and lift them up to God so that we can find comfort and healing. We have to be willing to face our true emotions and not pretend everything is okay. We need to be willing to admit our mistakes, failures, and weaknesses. We must be courageous enough to ask for forgiveness when we have wronged anyone. When Jesus told a parable about a father with an older and younger son to his audience, it provided a good example of the importance of emotional courage. When the younger son took his inheritance from his father disrespectfully, he went to another country and squandered all his wealth on a sinful lifestyle. As a result, he ended up losing everything and began to eat the pigs' food.

It was during this time that he realized his father's servants were better off than he was, so he began to plan to return to his father. He felt bad for what he had done. Luke 15:17-20 says, "When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home, even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.'' So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." The younger son had the emotional courage to return to his father and found forgiveness and reconciliation with him. God cares about our emotions, and He understands them all. When we feel lonely, sad, fearful, or any other negative emotion, we can acknowledge it before God and ask for comfort and healing. We also need to be willing to be open and share our emotions with those we trust so that they can pray for us and offer support. 

God doesn't want us to isolate or ignore our emotions. It is time for us to be courageous in acknowledging our true emotions and be vulnerable in sharing them. God wants us to be healthy emotionally. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What is emotional courage? Why is it important to acknowledge my true emotional feelings? What should I do when I'm facing difficult emotional feelings? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, you know everything that is going on in my heart. You understand all the emotions that I feel inside my heart. Please help me to acknowledge them before you, and be willing to be vulnerable and share them with those whom I trust, so that I can find spiritual support. Please grant me the emotional courage to face my emotions honestly. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.