Are you free from the Tyrant? At least a little bit? Now that you’re freed FROM something you’re freed FOR something. Ready? Now that you’re freed from slavery to your emotions, you’re free to enter fully into others’.
Say what?! I thought I was just freed from my emotions so I could be happier. So I could hold my head up high and soar on the wings of awesomeness. Isn’t that the point of spiritual victory?
No. The point is freedom FOR the sake of others.
Please understand, I believe we are called to be freed from having to obey our emotions, not so that we can be aloof, unfeeling, untouched by the sorrows of the world. The point isn’t complete detachment, it’s freedom. It’s freedom to set my feelings aside so that I can enter in more fully to the needs of others.
Here’s the thing: My last post? If inwardly I’m thinking, “Oh you know who REALLY needs to read this??” Then I’ve missed the point. Sure, we may mentally identify those who are in bondage to emotions, but if we’re super eager for them to “just get over it” we aren’t actually following Jesus at all.
Jesus wept. (John 11:35)
We just studied this passage in Bible study. We considered it. The shortest verse in the Bible contains a wealth of wisdom for us. Why would Jesus weep? Didn’t He know that He didn’t have to be ruled by His emotions? Was He a slave to the Tyrant? Had He forgotten how wonderful heaven is? Didn’t He know that we should REJOICE when Christians die? Furthermore, didn’t He know that He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead?
Of course He wasn’t a slave to the Tyrant. Of course He knows how great heaven is. Of course He knew He’d resurrect Lazarus in a moment. Of course.
Jesus wept because Jesus cared.
Jesus, the most emotionally-healthy person who ever walked the planet, wept.
He didn’t weep because He was a slave to His emotions, He wept because He wasn’t.
When we are freed slavery to ours, we can freely enter into theirs.
Here’s what I mean: If I pursue emotional freedom in order to avoid pain, I have missed the point. Escaping pain was never Jesus’ plan. Jesus actually chose pain. He chose to enter into the messes of this world. He BORE the brokenness and sorrow and agony of this busted up world. His emotional freedom gave him the capacity to weep with others.
He was free to truly love.
If we exasperated with others’ emotional challenges, we don’t need to tell them off, we need more love. We need patience. We need long-suffering. Yes, we might need to speak some hard truths, that most definitely does happen. But that truth must be born from love, not exasperation.
Jesus didn’t rail at Mary and Martha, “Come on, you emotional women! Get a grip! Move on. Don’t you know how great heaven is? It’s all good when people die, it’s just a promotion, right?” Jesus didn’t say any of the idiotic things that people insensitively say in the face of others’ grief.
He wept.
And then He brought resurrection.
He was able to help because He first felt.
Before He was a Savior, He was a Friend.
Personally, that’s a word for me. Recently I swooped into a situation as a savior, before being a friend. I’m learning.
Will you learn with me? Will you choose to be free FROM slavery to emotions, and FOR the purpose of loving, caring, and serving those around you? We’ll probably make a few messes along the way, but let’s not give up. Let’s look to Jesus, again and again and again, and pursue emotional health so that we can reach out to the world with His compassionate love.
{Thanks for reading.}