Showing Honest Emotion

'Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"' John 11:35-36 NIV

Some of us are like a closed book; people never get to know what's on the inside of us. Jesus was not afraid to be vulnerable. He wept openly at the grave of His friend Lazarus.

So, can you show honest emotion? Do you talk of the trophies you have won but not the tears you have shed? When you speak only of your success but fail to share what you went through to achieve it, you leave people feeling like they'll never be able to rise as high as you have. Is that what you want? Jesus was infuriated when the strong took advantage of the weak; it's why He threw the moneychangers out of the temple. Yet He wept over the people of Jerusalem because He knew what the consequences of their rejection of Him would be. Now we're not talking about displays of uncontrolled temper, or dissolving into tears each time trouble comes. But unless you have the ability to show an appropriate level of empathy and transparency, you will have no credibility.

The Bible says: 'For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under Heaven...A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance' (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 NLT). If you are able to be tough but not tender, people may admire your achievements and comply with your instructions, but they will keep you at a distance. And you will be lonely. But it's a self-imposed loneliness brought on by your unwillingness to open up and let them in. Jesus showed honest emotion; you must too.

I will show some honest emotion right now.

Day two of the real world and having to be up, showered, dressed, and ready to go - instead of just dropping the girls off at school in my jammies (passion killers as the T calls them) and fluffy slippers - and going back to bed to blog.

I have even managed to squeeze in the cleaning of a runny cat poop. Why on earth do they ALWAYS poop in the same spot? This spot just happens to be all over the computer cords that plug in to the modem. It amazes me how that smell can hit me like a heat wave as soon as i emerge from my bedroom to make my coffee - yet the girls had been up for an hour and not smelled a thing.

Hmmm.

This is going to age me. I just know it! I am feeling very emotional about cat poop and wanting to go back to bed right now.

Knocking as many hours off the community service as i can before Uni starts so i am outta here.

Will write something interesting later - and hopefully my eyes will be able to open properly by then!