Page 182 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

Trauma Recovery Training at a Seminary? Introducing Global Trauma Recovery Institute

are evident in the Scriptures from beginning hurt or sad. So no matter how much suffering,
to end. We see Adam’s joy in his “wow” when disease or death you encounter, if you are spiri-
he first saw Eve. Surely banishment from the tually mature you will proceed with a cool in-
garden and the death of Abel resulted in great difference, demonstrating something of a smile
grief. Hope is born in the promise of God to and nerves of steel. You do not have to look
Adam and Eve. Emotions are seen over and far in a study of the life and person of Christ to
over until we get to Revelation and see John’s see that according to this false standard he has
tears and finally in chapter 19 we hear the pro- himself failed miserably. Scripture records wit-
mise – no more mourning or crying or pain. hout any condemnation, his grief, his anger, his
Emotions have also often been a controversial tears and his earth-shattering scream from the
topic among Christians and one I believe, that cross. I fear many of us would have asked Jesus
has been riddled with fallacies. Those fallacies to control himself, not make so much noise and
make it very clear that a careful study of emoti- to stop drawing attention to him self.
on in the written Word or in the life of the Son of Finally, emotions are often seen as the stepchild
Man has never taken place. Many people seem of a human being. They are not really impor-
to believe, and there are myriad pop psycholo- tant and they almost always give you wrong in-
gy books to nurture this idea, that emotions are formation. They do not deserve much attention
amoral. They are neither right nor wrong; they and if you manage everything else right, they
just are. People will say things in counseling will come along by themselves quite nicely. If
sessions like: “Well, that is how I feel and you you do and think the right things, your emo-
cannot say anything in response. You just have tions will get the right idea and join in. Emo-
to accept it”. So I can feel rage or hate or bitter- tions somehow are believed to be more fallen
ness and it just is. There is not a problem in the than thinking and less reliable. They should not
feeling of it; there is only a problem in the acting be given any credibility and thinking correctly
on it. However, the Word makes it clear that all will “correct” your emotions. Unfortunately it
aspects of us are riddled with sin and our emo- is simply not true. You can choose wisely and
tions are not exception. They are not more sin- behave rightly and still have emotions that are
ful than other aspects of the self, but neither are difficult to deal with.
they less. The Word also makes it very clear that Somewhere, hundreds of years ago, the early
we are culpable for what is in the heart, whether church came to believe that God was impas-
or not it ever sees the light of day. sible – incapable of pain or suffering and not
Along with that belief many think that emoti- revealing emotions. These early church fathers
ons are uncontrollable. Somehow we are seen seemed to believe that if God had emotions He
as being at the utter mercy of our feelings and would no longer be tranquil. The Council in
must simply wait them out. Are emotions un- 451 A.D. said that the idea that God could suf-
predictable? Yes. Changeable? Yes, but so are fer was “vain babbling”. It is not hard to see how
circumstances. That is not the same as always this thinking would lead to some of the above
uncontrollable. As a Christian, however, as fallacies and the perennial belief that a strong
much as I am capable, by the power of the Holy Christian shows little to no emotion in the face
Spirit, I am not to leave myself at the mercy of of great tragedy. But as a study of the Person of
anything except God Himself. Surely we belie- the Son of Man shows us this Jesus was moved
ve that the indwelling Spirit is capable of trans- with compassion on many occasions. He gro-
forming us emotionally not just behaviorally or aned – he who was the Word of God uttered
cognitively. Surely that aspect of my being is an inarticulate sound expressing deep pain. He
also to reflect the person and character of Jesus was troubled and agitated. He wept – a God-gi-
Christ. ven expression of deep pain for which there are
Another fallacy quite prevalent among Christi- no words. He was angry – angry with the reli-
an is that emotions, especially those we might gious leaders, angry with his disciples for kee-
consider negative or dark, are always sinful. ping the children away from him and he had a
People who really know God do not get angry or violent and angry response to the moneychan-

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