Emotions
There are some societal beliefs that just never make sense to me. One of them is that we’re not supposed to show our emotions, especially if you’re a man. Like man up, boy what you crying? Be a man, they say as if being a man has anything to do with crying. The sad reality is these beliefs or whatever you wanna call them are so engulfed in us to the point they make sense.
Like it makes sense for a person not to show their emotions, and do you know why? Because that’s what we were taught when we were little. Then it was linked to a fear, fear of appearing weak. We didn’t have this fear as kids, but we learned it. You may be wondering why children display emotions without fear. That is how every one of us was created, with the freedom to express our emotions. Then as we grew up, we started being told that yoh, stop crying you’re grown up😏. Like, excuse me, I’m 10😄.
The other day I heard a preacher say, “God doesn’t care about you’re emotions.” … Uhmmm okay, unluckily I didn’t get the context so yeah I can’t judge him. However, I’ve always wondered if God didn’t have a reason for giving us emotions, then why did he give us? I strongly believe that some of the people who act strong are the weakest. Because that’s it, they’re acting. It’s like these folks who be out here acting classy but the mindset is ghetto. Like just be you, ghetto is fun. Anyway, lemme stop talking bad.
I’m currently reading The Garden Within by Dr. Anita Phillips, that was honestly the prompt for this article. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but the wisdom is on another level. She’s talking about how our emotions should not be ignored but rather paid attention to because they influence so much in our lives. She notes how, when someone loses a loved one or goes through a terrible moment, we tend to make phrases like, oh just be positive, be grateful for today, maintain a grateful heart, stop crying it’s God’s will, like can you just stop and let them have their moment? If a person is sad, they’re sad, that’s the fact of the moment, and you can’t erase that with a motivational talk.
Most of the time, these remarks do not come from a dark place; rather, they are the result of misunderstanding or a lack of awareness on how to help our loved ones get through difficult times. I’m not sure why some Christians cite biblical figures to explain absurdities.; Oh remember Job and what he went through? Well, that was him this is me. There are times when a Bible story isn’t as important as a present friend. Do you know how hard it is to remain faithful amidst chaos? Jesus on the cross literally cried and asked God, “Why have you forsaken me?”
In the book, Dr. Anita discusses the various ways Jesus let His emotions out. He didn’t conceal them. This is what I like about Jesus because He was just himself. The true depiction of realness. If the son of God was overwhelmed by His emotions countless times, who do you think you are? I mean who do we think we are? One of my favorite moments is when during the last supper, He was telling his disciples that one of them would deny Him, then He said, “How terrible it’ll be for the one who betrays ... It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” (NLT version). Did you read that right? Hope so. If you read the whole context of that chapter, you’ll prolly feel the atmosphere that was in that room. And I doubt it was happy birthday vibes😄. The picture of Jesus that folks paint is totally different from who He is. And that’s why you should read the Bible for yourself.
He entered a temple at one time and found people selling stuff, then he unleashed a whip which I think He used to beat them up, and flipped the tables upside down. Like get the hell out, I mean heavens out of my Father’s house, He didn’t say that though. If He had done this in our age He’d be in jail. I’m writing this Jesus stuff just to show how we’re all wrong. If it's okay to be happy then it's okay to be sad, to be angry. If it's okay to smile, it's okay to frown. Our bodies produce emotions as responses to situations. We need to stop beating them up for doing what they were created to do.
I personally don’t hide anything or maybe I think so. If I’m sad you’ll know it, if I’m pissed I’ll let you know it, if I’m happy you’ll also know that. I’m not gonna masquerade anything with a smile. Because you know, another thing I’m learning is any emotion that you don’t let out is kept within your body. Then your body tightens up due to all of that tension within. That’s why people get sick out of stress. Oh, you don’t believe me? That’s your problem. Your body is not a can of water, it keeps a record of everything.
