emotion

Do you ever wonder just how emotional God is?

Being a female, I am no stranger to strong emotions. And I believe that I may even be a bit more on the over-emotional side. I used to think of it as a curse. There are still some days that I think of it in this way. I know that there are nights where I cry myself to sleep, and wonder why in the world we as humans were given such strong emotions. I've even had some pretty crazy arguments with God over the topic, wondering why he allows us to feel such pain.

However, as I begin to really search deep into this idea of emotions, I can't help but wonder how emotion-filled God is. I mean, after all, we were created in his image, right? I remember the first time someone told me that they are excited to some day hear God laugh. God laughs, I thought? That seemed like a strange idea to me. But as I began to unpack that idea, and I looked around at all the farcical things that exist in life, I came to realize that I do believe God has a sense of humor. I've even been known to thank him for that attribute in the middle of corporate prayer.

But that opens up a pandora's box of thoughts for me... what other emotions might God feel, and how strongly does he feel them? I think that so often, it's easy for me to put God in this small box, where he's good for a few things. He's good at telling me what to do in life, good at making my sins known, good at letting me know He's in control, and good at blessing me with the things in life that I need, and sometimes (not all the time) with the things that I want.

However, I forget that God is a God filled with emotion. All throughout the scriptures, you see a God that passionately pursues his people. You see an God who is sorrow-stricken over the state of his people. You see a God who wants the best for his people, who wants to release them from whatever is weighing them down... You see a God who guides people. You see a God who has mercy on people. You see a God who doesn't put up with any crap... a very firm God. Loyalty. Faithful. Sad. Joyous. Giving. Loving. You see a God who is so sacrificial that He gives away His most prized possession...

And yet, so often, I think God is this emotionless, distant, thing (yes, I often think of Him as a thing... Sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my head around what he really is). And yet, if I really take the time to consider who God is, it's amazing how much he really has created us in His own image.