June 22, 2025

Issue 6 | "Daily wisdom that fits your schedule"

VERSE OF THE DAY

Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

A WORD FROM YOUR FATHER

My child,

My dear child,

I see you today in the middle of emotions that feel too big for your heart to hold.

The sadness that sits heavy in your chest. The anger that flares without warning. The disappointment that colors everything gray. The fear that whispers "what if" until you can't think straight. The loneliness that echoes even in crowded rooms.

You've been taught that "good Christians" should have it all together. That faith means constant joy and unwavering peace. But I never asked you to pretend your heart doesn't break or that your soul doesn't sometimes feel crushed.

When your emotions feel overwhelming, I don't step away – I step closer. When your spirit feels crushed under the weight of life, I don't distance Myself – I draw near to save you.

Your big emotions don't disqualify you from My love. They invite My presence.

I'm not intimidated by your anger or put off by your tears. I'm not disappointed when you feel lost or surprised when you struggle. I designed you with a heart capable of deep feeling because I wanted you to experience life fully – both its beauty and its brokenness.

When you're tempted to stuff down your emotions or apologize for feeling too much, remember this: I created you to feel deeply because I feel deeply. Your capacity for emotion reflects My image in you.

Don't try to fix your feelings before you bring them to Me. Don't wait until you're "spiritually mature enough" to handle them perfectly. Come to Me with your messy, complicated, overwhelming emotions right now.

I'm not waiting for you to get it together. I'm waiting to hold you while you fall apart.

Your emotions, even the difficult ones, can become doorways to deeper intimacy with Me. In your brokenness, you'll discover I'm closer than you ever imagined.

I love you always,
Your Father

DEVOTIONAL

When Emotions Feel Too Big

I grew up believing that strong emotions were somehow unspiritual.

Anger meant I lacked self-control. Sadness suggested weak faith. Fear indicated I wasn't trusting God enough. So I spent years trying to manage my feelings, push them down, or spiritualize them away.

Then I discovered Psalm 34:18, and it changed everything.

David – the man after God's own heart – wrote about being brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Not as a temporary weakness to overcome, but as a place where God's presence becomes most real.

The word "close" in Hebrew means more than just nearby. It describes intimate companionship, like a friend who sits with you in the hospital waiting room or a parent who stays beside your bed when you're sick.

God doesn't distance Himself from our difficult emotions. He draws closer.

I started paying attention to what the Bible actually says about feelings. Jesus wept. He felt compassion that moved Him to action. He experienced righteous anger. He felt troubled and distressed in the garden.

If Jesus – perfect and sinless – experienced the full range of human emotion, then maybe my feelings weren't something to be ashamed of but something to be stewarded.

The breakthrough came when I stopped trying to have "appropriate" emotions and started bringing my actual emotions to God. Instead of praying, "Help me not to be angry about this situation," I began praying, "God, I'm furious about this. Sit with me in this anger and show me what You want to do with it."

Something beautiful happened. My emotions didn't disappear, but they were no longer alone. God's presence transformed my anger into compassion, my sadness into empathy, my fear into trust – not by bypassing the feeling, but by meeting me in it.

Today, when emotions feel too big, I remember this: God isn't waiting for me to get my feelings under control. He's waiting to meet me in whatever I'm actually experiencing right now.

PRAYER

Meeting God in Our Emotions

Father, thank You that You don't step away when my emotions feel overwhelming. Thank You that You designed me with a heart capable of deep feeling. Today I bring You my __________ and my __________. I'm not asking You to take these feelings away, but to meet me in them. Help me remember that my emotions – even the difficult ones – don't disqualify me from Your love but can become doorways to deeper intimacy with You. When I'm tempted to stuff down what I'm feeling or apologize for feeling too much, remind me that You're close to the brokenhearted. Stay near to me today, especially in the emotions I'm struggling to understand or accept. Amen.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Embracing Emotional Honesty

1. What emotion have you been trying to manage or fix instead of bringing honestly to God?

2. How might your relationship with God change if you believed He wanted to meet you in your difficult emotions rather than waiting for you to overcome them?

3. What would it look like to let your overwhelming feelings become invitations for God's presence rather than barriers to it?

Take 30 seconds to reflect on this before continuing

GROWTH RESOURCES

📚 Emotional Discipleship

• Jesus' Emotions – See Christ's full emotional range in John 11:35, Matthew 26:38, and Mark 3:5.

• David's Honest Prayers – Read raw emotional honesty in Psalms 13, 22, and 88.

• God's Heart for the Hurting – Discover His tenderness in Isaiah 61:1-3.

TODAY'S PRACTICE

The Emotion Check-In

Set aside 2 minutes. Ask yourself: "What am I actually feeling right now?" Name the emotion without trying to fix it or justify it. Then say, "God, I invite You into this feeling. Show me how You want to meet me here." End by simply breathing and being present with both your emotion and God's nearness.

SPREAD ENCOURAGEMENT

Share Today's Word

Found today's devotional meaningful? Consider passing it along to someone in your life who appreciates spiritual growth resources. Everyone faces challenges, and these timeless truths can be a blessing no matter where someone is in their journey.

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