"There is no such thing as a 'bad' emotion. It's how we handle our emotions that matters." -- John Gottman, PhD.Have you ever had a recurring thought that others didn't necessarily agree with? Well, here's mine.
The quote above is in one of my textbooks for my Marriage & Family Counseling class, and I couldn't agree more. Especially in the Christian community, certain emotions, such as anger, are seen as "bad" because of specific biblical passages (e.g., Matthew 5:22, 1 John 3:15). And I understand that perspective. However, we all are sinful people and we cannot will ourselves to not feel emotions such as anger. Instead of addressing their feelings, people shame themselves for feeling angry, and keep their feelings hidden. This only lets the emotion fester and twist our hearts. What is so "wrong" about acknowledging our emotions for what they are and then doing something constructive about them? Pretending that they don't exist leads only to feelings of guilt and shame when you do discover that they are present in your heart. And shame is by far the most self-destructive feeling we possess.
What if we were truly honest with ourselves about how we feel?
Just a thought.
Hmm I guess I sort-of agree, at least, with the bit about being honest with ourselves about how we feel. But I don't think that makes it okay for us to feel those ways. I think admitting to our anger, however, is the first step to allowing God to work in our hearts to remove it. Unless we have the humility to be honest about the un-loving emotions we feel towards others, the Holy Spirit is never going to be able to penetrate into and change our hearts.
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