What are Emotions and Feelings According to the Bible?

Hey there,

Quick! Name a person in the Bible who at one point or another showed some big emotions.

Who came to your mind?

• Was it Cain when he burned with anger against his brother?

• Or did you remember Moses hitting a rock with his staff?

• Maybe Pharaoh came to your mind?

• Or perhaps Elijah fleeing when Jezebel threatens his life?

I'm just gettin' warmed up. I sat with several of my children recently and asked them the same question. Within 5 or so minutes, we had a list that covered the front and back of my paper.

The point: You're not alone. BIG emotions are more normal than you think, and as such the Bible has answers for how our children can navigate BIG emotions when they experience them.

But it starts with thinking correctly about what the Bible actually does say about emotions. That's where ​this week's video​ comes in:

Helping children with emotions has been a tricky subject for Christians historically. We haven't always gotten this one right. In our efforts to raise Godly children, we have sometimes focused more on our children's behaviors than on their hearts. That's resulted in us oftentimes encouraging children to stuff their emotions and put on a happy face (which sounds a bit Pharisaical to me).

In response, some parents (both Christians and non-Christians) have swung the pendulum completely in the opposite direction and encouraged children to vent and get all their feeling out. But that's not really emotional regulation as much as it's just going wherever your heart leads and that's not always a good thing.

In the end, we've sent the wrong message to our children and the world about what the Bible actually says about emotions. Fortunately, I see us as believers starting to get this right ... but we really are just starting to. In the meantime, the subject of emotional regulation and helping children with BIG emotions is huge in the parenting world (and the education world for that matter).

It doesn't take long to see there's a problem. Surprisingly, the world actually has a few decent answers to help but they don't have everything needed to address this problem because they are not focused on heart change. What I do see them getting right happens to match God's message about emotions as found in the Bible.

So maybe we ought to take a few minutes and figure out what God's message on emotions really is so we can apply it to our parenting and start experiencing a more peaceful family life.

If you're expecting this week's video to be a boring, long, exhaustive survey of scripture all about emotions, I'm sorry to disappoint you. But if you're looking for a quick overview of 6 Biblical truths about emotions that can truly impact the way you support your child and change things for the better for your family, then you need to watch ​this week's video​.

You'll be so glad you did!

All my best,

B.J.

PS - I just wanted to also thank you for watching these videos, clicking the like button on YouTube, and even sharing them with others. I make these videos hoping they bless someone and show the world that Jesus wants to be actively involved in our families. I've noticed a lot of good growth on the YouTube channel lately, and that's all because of you. So thank you. I truly appreciate your support. Now go check out this week's video.

PPS - If you want that free parenting resource I mentioned in the video, just click the image below and grab your free copy.