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Feelings...

             Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:5) 

            Following up on what I said about motivation yesterday morning, we should consider that “downcast” and “disturbed” don’t only refer to depressed or sad. They can also mean lonely, confused, overwhelmed, fearful, angry, weary, worried, – or any other emotion that gets in the way of moving forward or trusting God.

            Why did David ask his soul why it is downcast? Recently, someone mentioned the idea of the Daily Examen, which in at least one version, involves reviewing the day using five key questions/steps:

1. Become aware of God’s presence. Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. ...

2. Review the day with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. ...

3. Pay attention to your emotions. ...

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. ...

5. Look toward tomorrow. ...

            The speaker focused on the third step, and while the Daily Examen didn’t get that name for a long time after David lived, it seems to be the sort of thing one might ask one’s soul when going through this list.

            As I listened to the speaker, I responded, “Ah no, we’re not going there.” It’s not that my emotions were particularly stormy at that moment, but I don’t remember when I was comfortable discussing or even thinking about strong emotions, especially in the present tense. Most of the time, they don’t bother me too much. Then someone says, “Let’s talk about our feelings.”

            Maybe you’re comfortable with your feelings most of the time. But there are still those times when you may not understand why something has hit you as it did. The point is, it has, and there are two things you can do. Hold on for your life, and trust that God will bring you through. You needn’t dredge up every emotion felt every day, but when something needs to be addressed, do so because He’ll walk through it with you.

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