In our fast-paced lives, it’s all too easy to go through the motions spiritually, putting up defenses like a spiritual “sunscreen” against life’s challenges without really experiencing deep, lasting change. But what if true transformation isn’t about external defenses? What if you need to let Jesus transform you from within? This is the essence of emotional healthy spirituality—a key focus of our recent sermon series, which highlights that genuine transformation begins inside us.
In this blog, we’ll explore five steps to emotional and spiritual growth, rooted in allowing Jesus to transform us from within. We are using the acronym RULER from Marc Brackett, the research psychologist and the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, found in his book “Permission to Feel.” (amazon affiliate link)
1. Recognize Your Emotions
Emotional awareness is a crucial first step in spiritual growth. God designed emotions as tools that help us interpret our experiences. Taking a moment to pause and ask, “How am I feeling right now?” allows us to acknowledge our emotions. Are you feeling anxious, peaceful, or perhaps drained? By simply recognizing what’s happening inside, we open a doorway for Jesus to work through our authentic emotions, rather than superficial ones.
2. Understand the Why Behind Your Emotions
Once you’ve recognized your emotions, the next step is to understand their root causes. This can often be the most challenging but rewarding part. Ask yourself questions like, “What triggered this feeling?” or “Is there a pattern to my emotional responses?” By uncovering the source of our emotions, we gain clarity and self-awareness that help us surrender these areas to Jesus for healing and transformation.
3. Label Your Emotions
After recognizing and understanding your emotions, it’s time to label them. Putting a name to what we’re feeling—whether it’s frustration, joy, or fear—helps bring clarity. Imagine labeling your emotions as you would name a pet; by naming them, they become real, and we can handle them more effectively. Labeling enables us to bring our emotions more genuinely to God in prayer, opening ourselves to His wisdom and comfort.
A great tool for labeling emotions is the “How We Feel” app from the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence. – DOWNLOAD HERE
4. Express Your Emotions
Emotional health isn’t achieved by keeping feelings bottled up. Once you’ve recognized, understood, and labeled your emotions, expressing them becomes crucial. Sharing your feelings with God and trusted individuals creates a foundation for authentic spiritual growth. Vulnerability may feel intimidating, but it’s often in those moments that we allow God’s love and grace to meet us most profoundly. Remember, we’re created for community and support; sharing emotions is an essential part of spiritual well-being.
5. Regulate Your Emotions with Intentionality
Emotional regulation is about managing, not suppressing, our feelings in a healthy way. Techniques like deep breathing, prayer, and talking with a friend can help us stay grounded. Regulating our emotions equips us to stay on God’s path, preventing us from being led astray by emotional reactions. Through these strategies, we partner with Jesus to maintain spiritual balance and emotional stability.
Books I Enjoyed on this Topic:
Permission to Feel – Marc Brackett
Untangle Your Emotions – Jennie Allen
(Amazon Affiliate links)
Let Jesus Transform You
True transformation, the kind that Jesus desires for us, is not about skimming the surface; it’s about diving deep and letting Him work within us. Our emotions are an essential part of our spiritual journey. By practicing these steps—recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating our emotions—we can let Jesus bring healing, growth, and transformation into every corner of our lives.
This week, consider taking a few minutes each day to let Jesus into your emotional life. With His guidance, emotional health can become a core part of your spiritual growth journey.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us emotions as a part of Your perfect design. Teach us to recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate our feelings in ways that bring glory to You. Transform us from within so we may live fully and freely in Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This path to emotional healthy spirituality invites us into a life where Jesus’s transforming power isn’t just surface-level but rooted deeply in our hearts and minds. Are you ready to take the first step?