The Truth Behind 'I'm Fine': Embracing Real Emotions

Are we always truthful when people ask us how we are doing? It occurred to me Friday when a couple of you checked in on me and asked how I was that maybe “I’m fine” or “I’m good, thanks!” Isn’t exactly true…I’m not exactly talking about me, but I think we all can be guilty of hiding from the emotion of being truthful. I think we all get tired sometime of wearing the “I’m good” mask, probably because we don’t want to feel weak or bore people with our problems. This is true for me sometime but why do we still do it?But you know what, Jesus fell with his face to the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane, he brought the full weight of his emotions to God. “Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.””Matthew 26:38-39 You see, we all have deep emotions and carry burdens. But Jesus showed us another way. Jesus shows us that embracing emotions actually leads us to ultimate submission and obedience to the Father. Look, the world expects us to be strong. There’s famous speakers, survivors of tragedies that implore us to be strong and prevail. But when we look to Jesus, he shows us that true strength lies in embracing our emotions, bringing them to the Father, and letting them lead us to obey the Lord in whatever he asks of us.Be nice. Grace wins.