Recognising emotions

Last week I realised that I value the ability to express emotion quite highly. I realised that as a Mum, something I really want to encourage my little girls to do is to express their emotions rather than pretending they don't exist and bottling them up. I think perhaps because of this I tend to be more open and share more than some people are probably comfortable with and/or sooner than they are ready for me to share it with them.

I'm not even sure what the link with the following verses was in my thinking before I started blogging, but for some reason I was thinking about this particular thought, and these verses (Matthew 10:29-31):

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Maybe God's wanting me to see that it's important to recognise my emotions - my feelings of fear and sadness at a significant "loss" in my life - and to hold those in one hand, but at the same time in the other hand I need to hold the hope that He offers me in Jesus... the hope that Christmas should be about, remembering that God has blessed me richly eternally, that I have hope of new life in Him, that right now He is holding me in His Mighty hand, protecting, comforting and guiding... oh to sit at His feet and let Him comfort me, to let Him reassure me that is Sovereign, that He is in control, and to hear His voice, "You are worth more than many sparrows... keep trusting me."

What a great God we have. How often I forget this and instead get caught up in my emotions.