Jesus Wept
I like to joke that the King James Version of the Bible is the one Jesus used.
I don’t quote the KJV very often, but sometimes, it hits home due to cultural usage and history so much more clearly than some of the more recent academic translations. This week’s epistle seems like an appropriate opportunity to use the shortest verse in KJV.
Jesus wept. - John 11. 35
As a spiritual leader, I have gotten it into my head that it is appropriate to encourage health beyond just the spirit. It is my responsibility as a leader to encourage you and your partner and your children and your parents and everyone else you love to seek physical, mental, emotional health all in addition to spiritual health. You cannot be healthy in one aspect of your being while being negligent or unhealthy in the other areas.
To be healthy emotionally, we need to find language for our emotions; we need to allow ourselves to fully experience the full range of emotions; and we need to create safe and healthy relationships that invite others to do the same. How can you stretch yourself? How can you give yourself permission to name that you’re happy, sad, angry, mournful, joyous, hurt, scared, or the plethora of emotions that fall in and around all of these ones? How can you allow yourself to experience your present emotion(s) without ignoring or burying or shoving it aside?
Tomorrow in worship we will be exploring lament, the spiritual practice of naming our sadness, grief, and even helplessness. To prepare or supplement the experience, I want to share a resource with you: atlasofemotions.org It is a complex resource that can be dug into in a variety of ways, and perhaps, you may learn something about yourself and your emotional health.
May you have a beautiful and rich Saturday. I look forward to joining you for worship tomorrow morning. May we arrive vulnerable enough to name our laments.
Peace,
Rev Elizabeth