being emotional is not a weakness. how many times as a female have you been told to “be strong” or to “be logical” or to “think with your head and not your heart” every time you feel something deeply?
before i go any further, let me just say that emotions are never a weakness in and of themselves. it is our responses to our emotions that have the potential to be sinful. we have all been there and we all know what that looks like: lashing out, speaking or acting before thinking, seeking revenge, etc. in the same way, logic and reason have the same potential to be a weakness in our lives if they go against the Word of God. and many times we stray against the teachings of the Bible in the name of “logic.” but we must remember that worldly wisdom is not God’s wisdom (1 corinthians 1:25).
as women, we tend to feel things very deeply. oftentimes, we have been told that this is a weakness. however, i believe that being emotional and sensitive is a part of our make-up. i do not think that this was a mistake on God’s part. in being created with a deep ability to feel, we have such a potential to be empathetic, nurturing, to fight against injustice, to love others deeply, all for the Kingdom. many times i find in myself an emotional response to God’s love, grace, and goodness. as a result, crying is one of the ways that i worship Him. and although God is to be worshipped based on the truth of who He is, whether we feel Him or not, emotions give us a great capacity to worship and respond to the Lord.
please understand me when i say that just because women are (typically) emotional does not mean that we are not logical. and just because men are (typically) logical, does not mean that they are not emotional. i am simply trying to reverse the misconception that women are weak because of our emotions, when in reality, being emotional is one of the ways that we are created in the image of God.
the truth is that God created emotions and that He Himself is emotional. His emotions are written all over the Old Testament because of injustice and the unfaithfulness of His people. His emotions are evident through Jesus and his experiences of betrayal, suffering, compassion, empathy, weeping, persecution, and joy.
and so i challenge you not to squelch your emotions in exchange for “strength,” but to put your emotions under the lordship of Christ and to let His Word be your guide as to what your responses to your emotions should be. if you do, your God-given emotions could be the root of your greatest strengths.
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