Emotions and the Holy Spirit.

I have always been ashamed of the emotional person I am.  

But not anymore!!

God has assured me that we have emotions for a reason... (but let's keep these emotions in check!  We don't want to scare people with crazy tears!)  :)

Us women, with emotions, sensitivity, and compassion are formed in God's image.  In the same way, men, perhaps with a hard side, desire for power/leadership, physical strength, etc. were also formed in God's image.  (Disclaimer:  these traits I mentioned may be stronger and/or weaker according to personality, our surroundings, etc.  I believe men and women can also share each others personality traits.)

I am reading a fantastic book on the Holy Spirit with the ladies in my church.  I think what has impacted me most so far is our ability to grieve the Holy Spirit.

Bear with me.  This is all connected.

John Bevere, author of The Holy Spirit, suggests (my paraphrase) that the Father is God, and Jesus is God in human form - as a perfect man, with masculine traits and his own personality as a full human.

Mr. Bevere also suggests that the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) has feminine personality traits. Woah!!  I LOVE that!! (He was not suggesting the Holy Spirit is physically female, just that He is sensitive, compassionate, filled with emotions, etc. by nature.)

Let's backtrack a little.  :)  A few months ago my teenage sons and a friend were having a conversation about waiting for the right woman (God bless their hearts!).  They welcomed me into the conversation as they talked about how when a godly man (masculine, powerful, hard sided), teams up with a godly woman (sensitive, compassionate, passionate, emotional), the two of them (committed and united, acknowledging each others God given strengths) become most God-like.  A perfectly whole relationship!  WOW!  These words from 16 year old boys opened my eyes.

GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Have you ever gotten wrapped up in sin and soon after felt as though God was no where near you?  Maybe you never feel like God is near you.

John Bevere asks the question "Did you hurt Him?"

The truth is that the Holy Spirit is very much like us ladies:  compassionate, gentle, he feels strong emotion, and he is SENSITIVE.  I know when I have been deeply hurt, I have on occasion (depending on the hurt) cried or pulled away for weeks and sometimes months as I try to "get over it".  Even a small moment of being offended takes some brain power to work through quickly.  Could it be that the Holy Spirit is no different?  (See Galatians 5:22, Acts 9:31, Ephesians 4:30, Psalm 103:13)

I love learning more about this for a few reasons.  First, it gives me permission to just be a woman, sensitivity and all.  (However, I WOULD like to go on record saying that our sensitivity shouldn't control us; our emotions, compassion, passion, etc. should be balanced and should be used as a tool.  BUT it is good to know that God made me this way ON PURPOSE!)  Secondly, it helps me to understand the Holy Spirit better.  I feel like I can relate to Him and He can relate to me.  In the same way, men are able to relate to Jesus.  But it's different.  We, men and women, need each other to understand God better, and to learn from each other.

SO, WHAT HURTS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Women know if they want to have a wonderfully intimate relationship with their man, they need to feel emotionally attached; there can't be any grievances between the two.  God often compares our relationship to Him with the marriage relationship.  If we truly want to have a close intimate relationship with God, we have to make sure we have no grievances.  He is unable to connect with us if we have hurt Him.  Like any relationship, we need to make an effort to mend the hurt.  He is gracious and forgives, but we have to keep the communication going and work out the issues in order to be intimate.

What grieves the Holy Spirit?
It's all in Ephesians 4:  closed minds, hardened hearts, lustful minds, lies, anger, stealing, fowl language, bitterness, slander, harsh words, grumbling, etc.

What makes the Holy Spirit happy?
Ephesians 4 will tell you:  patience, humility, peace, renewing our mind, helping others, encouraging others, kindness, being tender hearted, forgiving, good works, generosity, hard work, etc.

I love how all these things could apply to marriage and any relationship really.  It's a lifetime of something to work towards.  Imagine the wonderful relationships we'd have all around if we did this the right way!! :)

Our Beautiful Soul & Spirit.

I've been reading a book lately that suggests that physical relationships are the lowest form of relationship there is.

I would never turn down a hug from a friend, or a face to face conversation, and a physical relationship is extremely important between partners!  Physical relationships are pretty sweet, but God gave us a soul and spirit for full connection and FULL relationship.   When we connect with people on a soul (mind, emotions, personality) or spiritual (the potential bond of God) level, that is the most meaningful and fulfilling relationship there is (and this can be done over the phone or messaging - no physical presence needed).  All 3 together would be the most fulfilling.

It makes me think about how society and media teaches us to focus on the physical.  The media is jam packed with lies about physical relationships and physical beauty.  I, for one, am one of many women that have struggled with loving my physical body.

One thing that I have learned with my weight loss is the fact that weighing less does not make it easier to love myself any more.  I'm still physically imperfect.  I have not blogged for a long time as I continue to work through this part of my journey.  I am learning more and more about where beauty lies.  I'm learning that beauty is (mostly) not physical.  I have been praying about this for years.  It is quite something to grasp in today's day and age.  

Most of us would agree that a relationship that is based on only physical attraction will eventually fall apart.  It's the spirit and soul connection mixed with the physical that makes a relationship last.

I believe there is some deep meaning to this and a lesson to be learned.  God gave us a soul: personality, emotion, mind, will.  And he gave us a spirit: where we connect with Him.  I believe that when we find beauty in our soul and spirit, it will spew out physically.  And it will be a different and more fulfilling beauty then the physical beauty we see on magazine covers.  When, by God's grace, I am able to line up my soul and spirit with God's selfless love, that is when I truly feel the beauty of God.

A male coworker came into my office the other day and said "You look extra pretty today" (very out of his character).  I was so encouraged, especially because I was feeling very average looking that day.  But I was having a peaceful "God-first" kind of day.  I honestly believe that on that day, when everything was right between God and me, this man saw God IN me.  THAT's true beauty, isn't it?!  That is what I desire to learn more about and grow in.  We are made in His image!  How beautiful!

Our bodies carry our soul and spirit.  And that's why we should take care of it.  I pray for true revelation of what that really means.  What is true beauty?  How does God see it?  Lord, please show us!

I feel like I am beginning to touch on this and it brings me such joy, peace, and fullness.  God's beauty is all around us!  Because we are made in His image we must have that same beauty in us.  Few of us have discovered what that really means.