For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 3:5-8)
I was struck again today by the passion and emotion of the apostle Paul. There is a common conception among Christians that true spirituality is being a stoic. Stoicism was a philosophy during Paul’s day that basically said that the goal of life was to achieve an emotion-less state, to be totally unaffected by the circumstances around you, to reach a state of a-pathy (literally, meaning “without passion/emotion”).
This was not the life of the apostle Paul. His emotions bleed through the entire book of Thessalonians (and many of his other letters). He expresses deep longing for the Thessalonians. He expresses fear that they may have fallen away from the Lord thus making his ministry among them “useless.” He expresses incredible joy over the report that the Thessalonians were still walking with the Lord saying “now we really live since you are standing firm in the Lord.” That’s quite a statement…”now we really live.” Paul’s joy was tied to the spiritual walk of other believers. When they fell, his emotions fell. When they walked with the Lord, he rejoiced in the Lord.
This is what it means to be in the body of Christ. My life affects you and yours affects me. When I stumble in my faith or backslide away from the Lord, I impact others. When I walk with the Lord, I bring joy to others. And the same holds true for you.
This also means that emotions are okay. I should feel some aspect of fear when I wonder what path my children will take. I should feel sadness when tragedy strikes or when others walk away from the Lord. I should feel deep longing for friends in the faith. I should feel joy when others progress in their faith. True, my emotions should not govern my life but they should be a vital aspect of my life. Emotions let me know that I am a human made in the image of a passionate God, that my heart is still soft to the promptings of the Spirit, that I am growing to be more like Christ (who also experienced intense emotion), and that God is fulfilling His promise to turn my heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)
Lord, keep my heart from growing cold. Teach me what it means to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.