Emotions Are For The Strong
“There is a time for everything…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” - Ecclesiastes 3 (1, 4).
Greg’s older brother was always teasing and bullying him—whether at school, home, or out in the neighborhood. Greg would start crying and tell his brother to leave him alone. The teasing continued and when Greg asked his brother why he kept bullying him, he said that emotions were for the weak and that he needed to toughen him up to prepare him for life.
While Greg’s brother thought he was preparing him for life, he was really only teaching him to suppress his emotions and become bitter. In the Bible, there were many times when Jesus showed emotion. He wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35), expressed anger at those deceiving people and exploiting the temple (Matthew 21:12-13), and he felt intense sorrow before his death (Matthew 26:38).
And we too should not feel ashamed to express our true feelings. Suppressing your emotions can take a mental, emotional, and physical toll on you. It can cause you to retreat or repress your most inner self. It can lead to resentment, anger, and misunderstanding. It can also reinforce that your thoughts and feelings don’t matter.
Decrease your anxiety and stress, improve your connection with others, and improve your confidence by deciding today that you will respectful and honestly share your emotions when necessary. Emotions are not for the weak. Emotions are for the strong, and they make you an even stronger individual when you can express them.
Greg’s older brother was always teasing and bullying him—whether at school, home, or out in the neighborhood. Greg would start crying and tell his brother to leave him alone. The teasing continued and when Greg asked his brother why he kept bullying him, he said that emotions were for the weak and that he needed to toughen him up to prepare him for life.
While Greg’s brother thought he was preparing him for life, he was really only teaching him to suppress his emotions and become bitter. In the Bible, there were many times when Jesus showed emotion. He wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35), expressed anger at those deceiving people and exploiting the temple (Matthew 21:12-13), and he felt intense sorrow before his death (Matthew 26:38).
And we too should not feel ashamed to express our true feelings. Suppressing your emotions can take a mental, emotional, and physical toll on you. It can cause you to retreat or repress your most inner self. It can lead to resentment, anger, and misunderstanding. It can also reinforce that your thoughts and feelings don’t matter.
Decrease your anxiety and stress, improve your connection with others, and improve your confidence by deciding today that you will respectful and honestly share your emotions when necessary. Emotions are not for the weak. Emotions are for the strong, and they make you an even stronger individual when you can express them.
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1 Comment
Thank you.