There’s that sentiment again: if you feel fear, you don’t have enough faith. After all, if the fruit of closeness with God is peace and joy, then anxiety and sadness must mean there is distance in the relationship. This isn’t a new view in the church. Emotions have long been taken as thermometers of our own spiritual maturity or character. If you’re anxious, then you don’t trust God. If you’re sad, you don’t believe in the resurrection. If you’re lonely, you haven’t spent enough time meditating on God’s love. And perhaps most damaging: if you still feel the pain of trauma, you haven’t fully
...more
