Sometimes, You Just Need a Good Cry
Maybe there’s no crying in baseball, but you may be wondering how God views crying, or any other emotion for that matter. Does God care that we have emotions? Does He think they are ok for us to have?
That may seem like a very odd series of questions, but there is a method to the madness. You see, many of us have come to view emotions in a very negative way. Women can’t be angry. Men should never cry. You can only be so happy. The question is if God feels the same way.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Truthfully, there is nothing wrong with emotions. We are designed by God and He gave us emotions. This means that He expected that we would be sad, happy, angry, or depressed at times. One such example of this is in the Kübler-Ross Model. The model postulates that there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Only two of those are “emotions,” but they demonstrate to us that God designed us to handle grief in the very same way as every other person. This is a perfectly natural part of life.
What you may not realize is that there are great benefits to emotions. They can help you to understand others better or to know the right direction to go. They are important in survival, attention, and motivation. A person who is excited or happy about life will be energized to go to work or spend time with his or her family. A person who is anxious may know that there is something wrong with the situation that he or she is in and take action to get out of it. A person who is saddened by the loss of a close family member can show his or her love for the one who has passed.
Emotions help you to overcome and adapt to your environment, especially when that environment changes. When things change suddenly or tragically, your emotions help you to adjust to that change, helping you to fight through it.
It is true that emotions are beneficial, but they can also be harmful. While our emotions play a role in our thought process, they should not necessarily be the guiding force behind every decision that we make. It is acceptable to be angry at someone who lied to you, but you don’t need to be angry at everyone else as a result. If you are sad and refuse to get out of the sadness, it can make you emotionally paralyzed. Our emotions can lead us to make bad decisions that may be harmful for us.
Your emotions can also lead you to serious actions, actions that are wrong. Ephesians 4:26 tells us to be angry but not to sin. It is ok to be angry, but you cannot use that anger to lead you to or to justify your sin. I was mad so I hit someone is not a justification. I felt sad is not a reason to use drugs. My spouse made me angry, so I had sex with someone else is not a justification. The truth is that our emotions can lead us to do sinful things, and this is where the ugly part comes into play.
Feel to Heal
Your emotions are a help to you. However, like everything else in your life, using them in the wrong way will lead you to do things that are bad, maybe even sinful. You want to make sure that you use them in a way that helps you to be more like God.
No, it is not blasphemy to say that God has emotions. Jesus wept, laughed, and was angry, amazed, and sad. Jesus showed every one of the emotions that we have, He just never sinned. The ugly part never came from Jesus because of His emotions.
So, it is ok to have a good cry, even if you are a man. It is ok to get angry, even if you are a woman. It is even ok to cry in baseball. The fact is that you may need a good cry at times. It is how God designed you to help you through difficult times.
We Cry for Our Brother
This message comes on the heels of a sad day for our brother, Cody Eickhoff. Cody lost his dad, who had battled with cancer and eventually lost. It is a sad day for Cody and his son, Bennett, as well as all the Eickhoff family. We ask you to remember Cody and his family in your prayers.
A Concrete Plan
CR Concrete Solutions is rolling. We have had several projects already completed and have a group set for the upcoming weeks. However, we still have some openings. It is time to get that driveway, patio, walkway, or other project done today. Contact our Concrete Manager, Shane Ness, ((319) 929-5879) to get a free estimate.
Hope Good News
Steven Yarbrough has a new job. He is on a landscaping crew with another graduate of the program, Keelan Carter. No doubt Steve is doing a great job… We are excited that Ben Heath completed the HiSet testing, earning his High School Equivalency degree. To celebrate, we will have a Graduation Party for Ben on Sunday, June 29, 3-5 p.m. at 217 Park Court, SE. Please come and celebrate Ben’s big achievement with us.
A couple of months ago, Channel 2 News’ reporter Nicole Dantzler interviewed Dr. Robert Pannier as part of the segment they she was doing on the challenges for men and women getting out of incarceration. The first two stories aired recently. Click the links below to view them:
Special Report: Life after lockup, the reality of reentering society after prison
Special Report: A second chance, how Iowa nonprofits are helping formerly incarcerated men
Volunteer Opportunity
In conjunction with this message in today’s newsletter, Hope is looking for two things. First, a group of pastors who would be willing to come to Hope CDA once a week or once a month to pray over our houses, office building, and work sites. Pastor Paul Hennings (FaithLife Church) has already offered to join, and we are looking for other pastors who would help us keep Satan further away from our door. If you are a pastor who could come once a month, every other week, or every week, please let Dr. Robert Pannier (Rob.P@HopeCDAcr.org) know.
Also, we are building a team of people who would be like an instant action prayer team. Not only would they have specific things to pray for each week, but would be ready to pray for something if a need arose quickly. If you would like to join this team, please contact Tahsha Jones (Tahsha.J@HopeCDAcr.org).
Prayers for the Week
We ask you to join in prayer for these things:
- We pray for Cody and his family after the passing of Cody’s dad. May the God of mercy comfort this family during their trying time.
- We pray for Ben Heath, as he is looking for a job. May God provide an amazing job for him where he can serve God and others.
- We pray for the car detailing business as it is getting closer to starting.
- We pray for the spiritual battle. May God keep us vigilant and help us to keep seeking His guidance. May we defeat Satan at every turn.
Tuesday Night Encouragement at Hope CDA
This Tuesday, Terry Knake will give his testimony. It should be a great night, so please come and join us at 6:00 p.m. This is going to be a great opportunity to learn more about Mr. Knake.1
Next week Tuesday, June 24, Charley Snodgrass returns to speak on the Age of the Earth. This should be an amazing talk. Charley always has great information to share and it is very entertaining.
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