Families pretending.
Families keeping secrets.
Families blaming.
Families using words to harm.
Families using shame to silence people who speak.
In such families, the expression of feelings, especially unpleasant
feelings, is
not accepted. Learning not to feel is a significant loss to us.
Our emotions are
a gift from God. Properly used, they can enrich our lives.
Learning to express our feelings to God and to one another allows
for the
process of growing in Christlikeness.
The road to recovery starts with
the Recognition of our emotional dysfunction,
then the Release of the particular dysfunction to
the Lord
and proceeds with the ongoing Restoration work of
the Holy Spirit to bring about
internal and functional change to our emotional health.
Recovery entails talking honestly of our problems (no cover
up),
feeling genuinely with acceptance and
trusting confidently of what God is doing through His Spirit
and His People.
In the love and acceptance of a small group discuss the questions below.
1. What things were safe to talk about in your family? What were not safe?
2. What did you learn from your family about the expression of feelings? How do you express your feelings today?
3. How might rejection or affirmation of feelings in your family have influenced your freedom to express feelings to God? Is it easy or hard to express feelings of sadness or anger or disappointment to God?
4. When we experience negative emotions, we often feel that God
is displeased or
far away. Paraphrase Psalm 34:18, emphasising what it says about
God's response
to our emotional pain.
"The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those
who are crushed in spirit"
(Ps 34:18)
5. Imagine yourself as one of the little children whom Jesus invited
to come to
Him. Imagine yourself standing next to Jesus. Take a few minutes
to close your
eyes and experience His arm around your shoulder as you stand
next to Him.
Tell Him what you are thinking and feeling.
What thoughts and feelings did you have during this meditation?