First Baptist Church of Herndon

Emotions Hurt

Linda Soller | Feb 05, 2018

Watching the Kids Baking Championship on the Food Network from the comfort of my couch, I heard something that struck me as profound. One young contestant was speaking to the camera after cutting her finger, “I was trying not to cry, but it seemed everything was going wrong at the same time, my finger hurt, my emotions hurt…”  Her emotions hurt? Whoa, hit the pause button. Have you ever felt like your world was caving in and the emotions running rampant through you actually hurt?  Laughing or smiling so much your face hurts is a version of this phenomenon, but has sadness ever made you feel pain in your chest? Has anger ever made your head hurt or fear made your stomach ache? I know I have experienced all these sensations. That child said it all when she said her emotions hurt.

I don’t really know what can be done to avoid emotional pain or if it should be avoided at all. I mean, emotions are much of what makes us human, right? I do think we need to be aware of emotional pain. Like when we cause others to worry about us because we’re too lazy or forgetful to let them know we are fine. Or when we elect not to apologize to someone we hurt, because we value our comfort over their pain.

It’s February, the month we celebrate love, with flowers, red hearts, and cherubs flitting around with arrows pointed! So how did I get started on this rather sad tirade on emotional pain? I know February can also be the month when everyone else’s happiness seems to put a spotlight on our own sadness.  Once a dear friend was very sad. I felt her sadness, and I felt my anger about the situation that caused her sadness. My emotions hurt. It helped me to identify what I was experiencing, so I could calm and overcome the emotional pain. It helped me to identify just what I needed God to help me deal with as I prayed for guidance. Know you are not alone if your emotions hurt.

Have a great week!  :o) Linda