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======Faith in Action - Emotions ...======
Wednesday, August 12, 2009. "Faith in Action" touches important basic questions.
How do we live faith? What do we do when we believe in Jesus, in God? Today
we have added another keyword: "emotions". How does faith influence how we
feel?
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Where do our feelings come from? Feelings are a phenomenon which is based
on a complex system of our body and mind. When our body is hurt, this immediately
changes our feelings. When we drink or eat particular substances, this can
influence our feelings. Various drugs are used as medicine, to work on
emotional imbalance. But our feelings are much more. They are influenced also
by our experiences and by the way we approach something.
One of the key feelings of humans is "fear". Fear is an important feeling.
We fear things we cannot control or something which might be a danger for us.
This helps us to recognize and avoid damage to our body or our person. In this
sense feelings are extremely important for us, they help us to live and to
survive. We usually feel fear when we approach the unknown. This also applies
to God. There is a natural fear when we approach the God which we do not know!
It is interesting that the sentence "Do not be afraid!" is so prominently used
in the New Testament. When God interacts with humans, we first react with fear.
But he is trustworthy, and when we realize that we do not need to be afraid,
the fear is replaced by another emotion, by "joy". The disciples are filled
with joy. Mary and Josef are filled with joy. Joy is another prominent feeling
which is described again and again in the bible as an emotion which is linked
to an encounter with God.
Faith changes our feelings. This effect takes place on different levels. We
have already mentioned the insight that God is good. Experiences with God
change our feelings. But it is not only special experiences. When we gain
insight into God, for example by reading and understanding the biblical
stories and arguments, this can and will create joy! It will change our
thinking, it changes our mind, it changes our existence and with it also
the emotions we experience.
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Faith changes our feelings towards other people. When we realize how deeply
God loves someone, we can take part in his love, we can follow Jesus. Then
this also changes our thinking about this person, and our actions towards
him or her. It will also change the person - either inderectly as a response
to our actions, or directly by our prayers, by God's intervention, by the
influence of the Holy Spirit. When the other person starts to open its mind
and heart, our relation will change and feelings will be different on both
sides.
Faith can be a great adventure. It is also the adventure of joy, the adventure
of changes in our feelings, the adventure of a new world within us!
[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_i|... more texts]]