Chosen Grace

This post is transparent. So, let’s get real with one another.

Last month when I came home from spring break, I was elated to be back, but also sad. I had just learned that a friend of mine obtained something I am still praying for. Immediately feelings of jealousy came up and the Lord spoke loudly, reminding me gently that I should celebrate with my friend as I eagerly await my turn.

Then, a few weeks later, I was preparing to defend my thesis and suddenly became nervous. I was anxious and when I spoke to the Lord about this, He reminded me that I have been called to this place by His divine will and purpose.

And, even this past week, I felt like I had disappointed God in specific areas of my life. And God reminded me that nothing I could ever do would take His love away from me.

As you can see- I have had quite the range of emotions. Each instance I recalled was different and yet, The Lord still had an answer for each problem I was facing.

That brings me to the theme of this post: emotions.

When God created man, He created us in His own image (Genesis 1:27). As image bearers of God we have hands, toes, fingers, and noses. But we also have the same emotions of our Father. Scripture notes that God has lots of emotions:

1. Laughter (Psalm 37:13)
2. Anger (Psalm 7:11, Romans 1:18)
3. Jealousy (Exodus 20:5)
4. Joy (Zephaniah 3:17)

And if our Heavenly Father has emotions, we as those who bear His image, do too. At birth we cry. We laugh at the jokes of our friends and we grieve when we loose people or things. Emotions are natural. And yet, there are times where we – in our humanness- hide our feelings from the Lord. Let’s check out an example below:

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 

– Genesis 3:8, NIV

In the Scripture above, we have the events right after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. Moments before the verse we just read, The Bible says that both Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and they knew they were naked (Genesis 3:7). This led what we see in verse 8, them hiding. Just imagine it: among the lush, fertileness that was Eden, the first man and woman were hiding from Elohim, the One who created them both.

And while I sometimes want to fuss with both Adam and Eve for introducing sin into the world, I must admit that in this instance I can relate to them a whole lot.

You see, in my walk with The Lord, the one thing I’ve struggled with most is sharing my emotions with Him. I’ve told you guys before that I like to have it all together. And in my relationship with God, that “perfectionist” mentality has often hindered me from allowing God to be God. Like Adam and Eve I have hidden from God and time again.

And maybe like me, you reading this post has done the same: hiding the truths of your heart. And instead of confessing them to God, you have eaten them away. Forced them out on the treadmill at the gym. Or ran to your best friend so they could share in your emotions.

And while sharing our emotions with others or choosing healthy means to let off some steam is not inehrently a bad thing- anything we put over God (including our feelings) is idolatry. And if you’ve read the Bible before then you know that idolatry is a game God is NOT about to let His children play.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have indeed allowed my feelings to rule my life. Out of my siblings, I am the most emotional one. So whenever my feelings were hurt or I was estatic – it would show with ease. As I’ve grown and matured in Christ, I’ve learned that feeling emotions are normal. But, if they are not submitted to God they can be easily manipulated into something dark.

Unlike God, our emotions can be tainted with unholiness. And unholiness coupled with deep emotions can easily lead us into trouble. Scripture has show us this time and time again as feelings of lust can lead to adultery (2 Samuel 11), jealousy can lead to murder (Genesis 4), and fear can lead to denying the the one who loves you the most (Luke 22).

To put it simply, unsubmitted feelings can lead us into more trouble that what we originally had. But, there is hope for us. Let’s check it out in the verses below:

“But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”…The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”

-Genesis 3:9, 21

You see, when The Lord asked Adam and Eve the question of where they were, He already knew the answer. He knew what they had done. He knew the serpent had manipulated them. He knew they were afraid.

And if The Creator God knew this about Adam and Eve, He knows this about you and I. God knows when we are sad, angry, frustrated, and happy. As The Only Living God(Jeremiah 10:10), God sees and hears everything about us. Surely, He knows what emotions we are experiencing in any given moment.

As I close this post, I want to bring attention to verse 21, which notes how God clothed Adam and Eve. This was after he had rebuked them and the serpent. Even in his judgement, His love for them never waivered.

And so is the same for us. When we confess our feelings to God, He will clothe us with His love. Just like the father clothed his wayward son in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), so will God if we return our emotions back to Him, the one who created them.

Share your emotions with God and He will clothe you with His love and truth. Try it today- I double dog dare you. And I’m a living witness that in sharing your emotions with our Father, you won’t be dissapointed.

With a new love for sharing emotions,

Malaysia 🙂