scared

I think we don't talk about our emotional health, and how it relates to being Spiritually mature, because we are scared that if we open the Pandora's box of our emotions there will be no end to them.

While there are often a lot of emotions to deal with, because we've been ignoring them and stuffing them inside for so long, there is an eventual end. Getting there is not an easy road, but keeping our emotions bottled up inside of us is even more difficult.

I knew I had a problem when I stopped being a compassionate person. I was curt and unsympathetic, I would often think to myself "so what, I have my own issues to deal with, let someone else listen to them." Ouch! That is not the person I wanted to be, or the person I knew God wanted me to be.

How do we go from scared to trusting?

One small step at a time. Often, it is three steps forward and two and a half steps back, but at least we have started moving in the right direction. While you can get your emotional health back in control with just God and yourself, it is easier if you have friends. Of course, that takes work, because to have a friend you have to be a friend. For me, a big part was joining a small group from our church. Our group is a family, and we share not only discussions about God and Jesus, but real life as well. It was important to me to find a group that did both. I've been studying my Bible for decades, I needed a group that would challenge me to live out what I had learned!

When I finally stopped trying to hold all my emotions inside and started sharing them a little at a time in safe spaces like our small group, I re-learned that there is a lot of freedom in speaking the truth. Jesus told us that the truth would set us free and He was right!

Don't stay scared. Start the journey from fear to faith today. God is waiting with open arms to help you.