Sorry y'all, but now that y'all know my major, I will probably be using examples from my classes often.  So, let's just look at the first-of probably many-from my Psychology class.  Also, let me say that for me, Psychology and Sociology are not just analyzing behavior from a scientific viewpoint, but I want to be able to relate everything from a biblical viewpoint as well.  So with that being said, I will now continue.

 

Wednesday in class we were discussing feelings and emotions.  Let me start by saying that I personally am no expert  when it comes to emotion.  Ask most anyone and they will agree.  It's not that I think that showing emotion is a bad thing, just not something that I am good at.  Thankfully though, I will just be talking about the lecture, not giving personal examples.

 

After several minutes of my teacher lecturing he turned on a video that we would watch the rest of the class.  The man in the video was a priest and did a fine job talking about emotion and feelings.

 

He started by telling us how the are two main emotions that all other emotions derive from.  There is LOVE and there is HATE.  These are the two starting points for all other emotions. 

 

Around the word LOVE, he wrote other words that come from love: peace, joy, forgiveness, tolerance, satisfaction, etc. .

Around the word HATE, he wrote the words that come from hate:  self-pity, jealousy, depression, defeat, guilt, grief, etc. .

 

LOVE leads to HAPPINESS - HATE leads to UNHAPPINESS

 

Then, he did the unthinkable.  He showed how the two ultimate emotions/feelings can actually work together by reminding us all of the well-known question: What is LOVE if there is no JEALOUSY?

 

Think about it, it's kind of healthy and helpful to be jealous when you are in love.  Jealousy can show how much you truly care and that you don't want to lose that person.  (However, be careful though, trust is very, very important as well.)

 

But why am I mentioning this?  Because immediately I began thinking of the lyrics from the song How He Loves:

 

 He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

 

Y'all, GOD IS JEALOUS FOR US!  The One who created us all in His image is jealous for us!  For us unworthy sinners!  He wants us to be His.  He is jealous for us and doesn't want to lose us to the worldly things that Satan shows us.

 

Isn't it kind of amazing knowing that Someone so incredibly important is jealous for you?

 

I know it makes me feel special, but I'm not alone.

 

So, the next time that you are feeling down and gloomy, don't let your emotions get in the way, instead, smile because you know that He is jealous for you!