Accepting Your Emotions Mark 11:12-14
Praying over the City at Bruegger’s Bagels (800 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN).
OctoberSaint Paul
Yesterday, I sat in this exact same spot. I have become addicted to my bagel and coffee. Plus, it’s a good deal. For what I’d pay just for the coffee at a lot of other shops in town, I can get fed and caffeinated for the same 6 bucks. Granted, this pic should have my bike attached to the stop sign out there. Even though the weather is a bit warmer, it rained again this morning, so I’ll be riding at the gym instead. It’s painful. I miss the wind in my face, but I try to tell myself it’s okay because I can read instead. (The thought doesn’t help much. I still miss riding outside.)
As I sat here yesterday, writing the blog/prayer, MISTAKES ACCEPTED, in which I’d taken note of all the mistakes the disciples made and yet God used them in a very powerful way, I also noticed more about Jesus’ emotional range. One thing that brings me comfort is realizing that Jesus felt absolutely every emotion I do—anger, fear, sadness, betrayal. Jesus was also tempted, and as I’m coming to understand, He was also frustrated—or at least, that’s how it seems.
As I read through the verses associated with yesterday’s blog/prayer, Luke 9:37-56, I realized that Jesus was quite bold when the admonished the disciples. I got the sense that He was a bit exasperated, at His wits end, in a word, FRUSTRATED. But honestly, what a baseless emotion. Frankly, when I’ve been frustrated, I think, “You’re being selfish.” Or, “Where is your patience?” But if Jesus was also frustrated, at times, and Jesus is selfless and patient, then maybe even when I feel frustrated, that’s okay too?!?!
I also noticed this in Mark 11:12-14. Here Jesus curses a fig tree because it won’t give him fruit. Now, the tree is just acting in the seasons for which God intended. It should NOT have fruit at this time, and Jesus above all knows this. He is all knowing, yet He curses the tree for not producing what He needs at this moment.
Please do not get me wrong. Many people, far more scholarly than I with deep wisdom and education to decipher God’s Word, have come up with many lessons to be learned from these verses. Jesus NEVER did anything by accident. Every word in this Holy manuscript has meaning to enrich our lives and express the true nature of God. That is why it is the Living Word. I just ask that you consider this from a simple and basic concept.
Mark 11:12-14 falls in a very important part of the Gospels. Jesus had just left the Temple. He got there late in the day and realized that things were closing. (Mark 11:11) Jesus had gone there with the intent to flip tables and let them know they’d turned the “House of Prayer into a den of robbers”. I wrote a prayer/blog about this powerful section too, JESUS THE JUSTICE FIGHTER.
This is my thought it all of this, while Jesus had reasons to curse the fig tree on deeper more meaningful levels, maybe, just maybe, part of Jesus’ expression was part fear for what He knew He must do and how He knew those in power would react, and part frustration. Maybe, just maybe, Jesus was hangry. If you are not familiar with the word, you are probably familiar with being hungry to the point of getting angry—hangry.
I am in no way attempting to minimize the depth of Jesus’ mission or His ability to manage His emotions with the utmost level of wisdom. We see Jesus expressing all other emotions so maybe He was frustrated too. He gave us the gift of this emotion with all others for a purpose. It’s not wrong to feel them. We just need to be responsible with how we deal with them. Our emotions are guides to where God wants us to go and what He needs us to do. Like Jesus did, we should embrace them, figure out what we might need to learn from them, and pray to seek God’s will in dealing with them.
Dearest Heavenly Father, please help me to remember that emotions aren’t bad. You gave them to us and You came to earth and felt every single one of them. You know better than anyone the power of them. We can bring them straight to You. You better than anyone can show us how to deal with them and what lessons they might unfold. Please guide us through it always. In Your Holy and Mighty name…
I hope that helped you. It sure helped me. Please bring any prayer requests forward. I love our Spiritual connection.