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by Bob and Debby Gass
Showing Honest Emotion
February 2, 2012
‘Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”’ John 11:35–36 NIV
Some of us are like a closed book; people never get to know what’s on the inside of us. Jesus was not afraid to be vulnerable. He wept openly at the grave of His friend Lazarus. So, can you show honest emotion? Do you talk of the trophies you have won but not the tears you have shed? When you speak only of your success but fail to share what you went through to achieve it, you leave people feeling like they’ll never be able to rise as high as you have. Is that what you want? Jesus was infuriated when the strong took advantage of the weak; it’s why He threw the moneychangers out of the temple. Yet He wept over the people of Jerusalem because He knew what the consequences of their rejection of Him would be. Now we’re not talking about displays of uncontrolled temper, or dissolving into tears each time trouble comes. But unless you have the ability to show an appropriate level of empathy and transparency, you will have no credibility. The Bible says: ‘For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under Heaven…A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.’ (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 NLT) If you are able to be tough but not tender, people may admire your achievements and comply with your instructions, but they will keep you at a distance. And you will be lonely. But it’s a self–imposed loneliness brought on by your unwillingness to open up and let them in. Jesus showed honest emotion; you must too.
SoulFood: Dan 3–4, Matt 12:15–21, Ps 107:33–43, Pr 3:27–28
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2012
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