Approach and express emotions

Seasons of suffering trigger strong emotions.  Prolonged seasons of pain cause the emotions to seem like a tidal wave sweeping into one’s heart, soul and mind.   Creating disorientation of life and questioning even those beliefs never questioned before.  During the season of pain, naming and identifying the emotions and then expressing the emotions is a practice that is yet another marker on the pathway of more deeply experiencing God in times of suffering.

The Book of Job provides rich biblical support for the idea of approaching and expressing emotions, especially in the context of suffering and distress. Job’s experience demonstrates the importance of honest emotional expression and approaching God and others with one’s feelings. Here are some key points from the Book of Job that support this idea:

1. Job’s Honest Expression of His Emotions

Job openly expresses his profound anguish and despair. He curses the day of his birth, revealing the depth of his emotional suffering. This expression highlights that it is permissible to be honest about one's pain and feelings, even in a raw and intense manner.

Job 3:1-3 “After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said: ‘May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, “A boy is conceived!”’”

Job explicitly states that he will not restrain his mouth, indicating that he feels the need to fully articulate his grief and frustration. This shows that expressing one's emotions is a vital part of dealing with suffering.

Job 7:11 “Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”

2. Job’s Dialogue with His Friends

Job expresses his wish for death, revealing his deep desperation and pain. This candid expression of his feelings underscores the importance of voicing one’s true emotions in the face of suffering.

Job 6:8-9 “Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut off my life!”

Job questions the purpose of his suffering and approaches God with his feelings of injustice. He expresses his confusion and seeks to understand why he is suffering, demonstrating that questioning and expressing one’s feelings to God is an important part of the faith journey.

Job 10:1-2 “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. I say to God: Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges you have against me.”

3. God’s Response to Job

After Job's dialogues with his friends and his honest expression of his emotions, God responds to Job and rebukes his friends for not speaking accurately about Him. This response indicates that God values Job’s honest expression and interaction.

Job 42:7-8“After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.’”

4. The Role of Lament and Complaint

ob acknowledges that his complaints are directed towards God, reflecting his belief that expressing his grievances is appropriate. This shows that lamenting and complaining about one's situation, while maintaining a relationship with God, is a part of the human experience and is not discouraged.

Job 21:4 “Is my complaint directed to a human being? Why should I not be impatient?”

5. The Importance of Emotional Processing

Job reminisces about better times and expresses his feelings of loss and betrayal. This emotional reflection is part of his processing and indicates that acknowledging and expressing emotions is integral to understanding one's suffering.

Job 29:2-5 “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness!”

Summary

The Book of Job provides a robust framework for understanding the importance of approaching and expressing emotions, especially in times of suffering. Job’s candid expressions of grief, frustration, and questioning highlight that it is acceptable and even necessary to voice one’s true feelings. His dialogues with God and his friends demonstrate that expressing emotions honestly can be a crucial aspect of spiritual and emotional processing. The book encourages an open and honest relationship with God and others, affirming that expressing one’s emotions is an important part of dealing with and understanding suffering.