There is a hit movie in the theaters this summer called “Inside Out 2” which is a sequel to a story that animates our emotions. It is a humorous look at what goes on inside of us as we live our lives.
We are emotional beings. That’s how we are made. Even if you are a believer, you are still going to have emotions both good and bad. We STILL have to deal with them. Some religions act as if you are supposed to be void of any emotions but that is not reality.
Emotions are tricky.
They set our moods and our thoughts about ourselves and others.
The Inside Out movie features nine emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear, Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui (boredom).
I think we can identify with all of these emotions. I remember attending a Bible Study group once where the teacher focused on the Bible Verse where Jesus said to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) and was trying to imply that we could be perfect. I disagreed with him. There is absolutely no way ANY of us can be perfect while we have our human bodies and emotions. We can certainly strive to be holy but we will never attain it in this life.
So how can we deal with these emotions?
Joy
This is easily the only positive emotion among the ones listed. We should all want to have joy in our lives. Joy gives us hope and contentment in the life we live. Romans 15:13 tells us: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Sadness
I think we have all had periods in our lives enduring sadness. This can be because of many reasons. It happens in the absence of joy and lack of hope. The Bible says that sadness is a reality in our fallen world, where God’s design has become corrupted by sin. “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18) We have to know that the sad times are a part of life but we can look to the hope that comes in our trust in God.
Anger
This one gives is a lot of problems especially if we don’t keep it under control. We live in a world where anger is totally out of control with tempers which lead to some sort of violence. People are so quick to pull out a gun to shoot rather than calm their anger. The Bible urges us to “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20)
Disgust
There are things in life that completely unsettle us. We can’t avoid them. There are things that happen that we won’t like. Jesus warned us about this when He said “In this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Fear
About this time last year I battled fear when I was looking for a job after being cut. I know what fear feels like. I know how it twists your gut. Fear can beat you down if you let it. John 14:27 tells us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Anxiety
Many people are tormented by anxiety. Life stresses us out with the demands that we face. It can paralyze us unless we find a healthy way to deal with it. Well meaning people will often say to just trust in the Lord but if you have ever dealt seriously with anxiety, a religious cliche won’t resolve it. Certainly we can trust in the Lord when He says to cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7) but we must do the things which help us to not be overwhelmed.
Envy
It can be difficult to watch others succeed when we aren’t. I know it gets me down sometimes when I am struggling financially when others are doing whatever they want. Envy can eat at you on the inside. Proverbs 14:30 tells us “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” When we are at peace with ourselves and others, we don’t need to envy what others have or do.
Embarrassment
I grew up with the fear of others making fun of me and I never wanted to be embarrassed in public. There are times we might say or do the wrong thing and it draws unnecessary attention to us. Embarrassment is an emotion that can impact how we feel about ourselves and how we are perceived by those around us. 1 Peter 2:6 says that “whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” We must be secure in the fact that God’s opinion of us is the only thing that matters.
Ennui
I thought it was interesting that the movie used this word for boredom. This word is defined as a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. We have to be aware that this emotion can lead to trouble. The Bible warns us that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” (Proverbs 16:27) Temptation is the greatest when we are bored.
Emotions are a part of our lives and even being a believer won’t make us immune to having them. We have to recognize our emotions and make the effort to keep them under control. God knows us and understands us better than we know ourselves. When we commit our emotions to Him, He is able to bring a peace to our lives which will help us to deal with our emotions.
Emotions are tricky.
They set our moods and our thoughts about ourselves and others.
The Inside Out movie features nine emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear, Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui (boredom).
I think we can identify with all of these emotions. I remember attending a Bible Study group once where the teacher focused on the Bible Verse where Jesus said to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) and was trying to imply that we could be perfect. I disagreed with him. There is absolutely no way ANY of us can be perfect while we have our human bodies and emotions. We can certainly strive to be holy but we will never attain it in this life.
So how can we deal with these emotions?
Joy
This is easily the only positive emotion among the ones listed. We should all want to have joy in our lives. Joy gives us hope and contentment in the life we live. Romans 15:13 tells us: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Sadness
I think we have all had periods in our lives enduring sadness. This can be because of many reasons. It happens in the absence of joy and lack of hope. The Bible says that sadness is a reality in our fallen world, where God’s design has become corrupted by sin. “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18) We have to know that the sad times are a part of life but we can look to the hope that comes in our trust in God.
Anger
This one gives is a lot of problems especially if we don’t keep it under control. We live in a world where anger is totally out of control with tempers which lead to some sort of violence. People are so quick to pull out a gun to shoot rather than calm their anger. The Bible urges us to “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20)
Disgust
There are things in life that completely unsettle us. We can’t avoid them. There are things that happen that we won’t like. Jesus warned us about this when He said “In this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Fear
About this time last year I battled fear when I was looking for a job after being cut. I know what fear feels like. I know how it twists your gut. Fear can beat you down if you let it. John 14:27 tells us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Anxiety
Many people are tormented by anxiety. Life stresses us out with the demands that we face. It can paralyze us unless we find a healthy way to deal with it. Well meaning people will often say to just trust in the Lord but if you have ever dealt seriously with anxiety, a religious cliche won’t resolve it. Certainly we can trust in the Lord when He says to cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7) but we must do the things which help us to not be overwhelmed.
Envy
It can be difficult to watch others succeed when we aren’t. I know it gets me down sometimes when I am struggling financially when others are doing whatever they want. Envy can eat at you on the inside. Proverbs 14:30 tells us “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” When we are at peace with ourselves and others, we don’t need to envy what others have or do.
Embarrassment
I grew up with the fear of others making fun of me and I never wanted to be embarrassed in public. There are times we might say or do the wrong thing and it draws unnecessary attention to us. Embarrassment is an emotion that can impact how we feel about ourselves and how we are perceived by those around us. 1 Peter 2:6 says that “whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” We must be secure in the fact that God’s opinion of us is the only thing that matters.
Ennui
I thought it was interesting that the movie used this word for boredom. This word is defined as a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. We have to be aware that this emotion can lead to trouble. The Bible warns us that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” (Proverbs 16:27) Temptation is the greatest when we are bored.
Emotions are a part of our lives and even being a believer won’t make us immune to having them. We have to recognize our emotions and make the effort to keep them under control. God knows us and understands us better than we know ourselves. When we commit our emotions to Him, He is able to bring a peace to our lives which will help us to deal with our emotions.
