Becoming Friends with Your Feelings

A friend e-mailed this to Me today and I thought I'd share it, I think it's good and in my case, true.
I often hear people ask, "How are you feeling today?" The common answer is, "Fine." It was a good question, but not a good answer. Why do we ignore our feelings or camouflage them with such words as "fine" or "not so well"? Feelings are a part of who we are. We have emotions because we are made in the image of God.

How dull life would be if we had no feelings. Imagine watching a sunset, a ball game, or the ocean and feeling no emotion. Feelings are a gift of God to help us enjoy life and process pain. Certainly sometimes we feel lonely, disappointed, and frustrated, but these emotions push us to take constructive action. Pause and thank God for whatever emotion you are presently feeling. Ask Him to guide your actions.

Some Christians are critical of their emotions. They will say, "Don't trust your emotions. Faith, not feelings, is the road to spiritual growth." Why are we so critical of our emotions? In Mark chapter three, Jesus felt anger and sorrow. Is that bad? I don't think any of us would condemn Jesus for having emotions. Then why do we condemn ourselves?

God gave us emotions for growth, maturity, fulfillment, and enjoyment. Feelings were made to be our friends. If it is a negative emotion, it means something needs attention. It is like the red light that appears on the dash when your car needs oil. We don't curse the light; we give attention to the problem. Why not do the same with your emotions? If you take constructive actions, emotions have served their purpose.