In 2015 Disney Pixar released an exceptional animated picture called “Inside Out”. It’s got a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know it must be good. The movie follows the life of Riley, a pre-teen who is navigating life with her family in a new city. The audience has a front-row seat inside Riley’s head as her Emotions - Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust - guide her through life.
Early on in the film, we see Joy admit that she doesn’t really get why Sadness exists. Joy is determined to make Riley’s life fun and happy, and often suppresses the other Emotions as they respond to Riley’s situation. It’s not until the end of the movie that Joy realises that she must accept Sadness rather than avoiding or denying her. Joy realises that Sadness is an important part of Riley’s emotional life and chooses to embrace her.
Inside Out is a great depiction of what often happens inside our heads. Sometimes we avoid emotions, suppress feelings, and even blame others, rather than mindfully embracing tougher emotions. It can be hard to navigate the way we feel at times. Embracing our emotions doesn’t mean that we let them control or define us, but we can certainly acknowledge them and allow them to help us move forward.
Over the next four weeks, we invite you to join us as we take a look at how we might experience and embrace our emotions in Christlike ways. God has given each of us the capacity to feel deeply, and when we can better process our emotions, we can better understand how He will use them for His good.
See you online at 9:30am this Sunday as we take a look at coping with and embracing Sadness.
Kylie & Sarah (Corps Officer Team)
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