LISTENING TO OUR EMOTIONS

In The Cry of the Soul, Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III speak to the importance of listening to and dealing with our emotions:  “Ignoring our emotions is turning our back on reality; listening to our emotions ushers us into reality.  And reality is where we meet God… Emotions are the language of the soul.  They are the cry that gives the heart a voice… However, we often turn a deaf ear – through emotional denial, distortion, or disengagement.  We strain out anything disturbing in order to gain tenuous control of our inner world.  We are frightened and ashamed of what leaks into our consciousness.  In neglecting our intense emotions, we are false to ourselves and lose a wonderful opportunity to know God.  We forget that change comes through brutal honesty and vulnerability before God.”