“Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they are big, flashing signs that something needs to change.” Gretchen Rubin

Having right thoughts matter. Honoring our emotions matter too. 

As much trouble as emotions cause, they offer an equal amount of goodness. We’re grateful for laughter because we’ve cried, joy after battling despair, and contentment after a fit of frustration. 

I’ve written about the healing power of changing our thoughts, about mind over matter and emotions. There’s also healing in feeling our feelings. 

Letting God transform our hearts and change how we feel is sometimes where it begins. 

For me, the debate about which came first, thoughts or emotions, is like arguing over the chicken and the egg. I lived more than a decade so hopeless and dead feeling that I easily gave into destructive thoughts. I had to deal first with my emotions, or at least deal with not feeling much at all. 

Even though I was disappointed that feeling my feelings and sharing how I felt didn’t fix everything, feeling that disappointment made me miserable enough to change.  

If my emotions weren’t good for anything else, that was a gift. 

Sometimes we think we’ll never feel good again, but that’s a lie from hell. God wants us healed, happy, and holy (living our purpose). That includes living into the goodness of our emotions. 

In This Together, 
Kim

FYI: I’m blogging my book titled On The Other Side of Trying Hard: Healing, Happiness, and Holiness. Because these blog posts are a manuscript instead of stand-alone stories, some posts may leave you hanging. I hope you’ll hang in here with us anyway ‘cause a happy ending is coming. My blog post title includes the chapter title first. The phrase in parentheses is the subheading. I’m over-the-top grateful to have you here. I’d love to hear your reflections, questions, and comments.