Why did God give us these? Often they are very exciting. Emotions can thrill, they bring joy, laughter, hope. Sometimes my emotions cause me to belly-laugh so hard I swear I can feel last night’s dinner coming out my nose.
Those, we call good emotions. We like them. They make us feel good.
But they also have a dark side.
I have experienced sorrow so deep I thought I would die. Fear has whitewashed my face more than once leaving me ashen and almost unconscious. I have been so hurt that even now, years and years after the hurt, the indentation is still visible on my heart.
These emotions we dislike. We bury them. They depress us.
So why would God give us the capacity for these emotions? Wouldn’t it be easier to just have a more stable life: one where we didn’t experience the highs of immeasurable joy, but we were also protected from the near-death of unspeakable lows?
He gave us these emotions not for the high nor the low. These emotions are our connecting point with him. Our emotions are the keys to turning the lock of our heart. It’s not so much that we unlock a door that lets him in. Rather we unlock our heart which is shackled to us, and then we give it to him. It’s much more risky and much more selfless.
Much courage is required to let a stranger into your house. Most would call foolishness giving your stranger that house and trusting him to take care of it. Jesus calls that salvation.