Elizabeth Laing Thompson is a church-planting minister’s wife, mom of four following a long season of infertility, and author of the new book, All the Feels: Discover Why Emotions Are (Mostly) Awesome and How to Untangle Them When They’re Not. She comes on the show today to talk all about emotions and feelings and how we can walk by the Spirit in the midst of them.
What We Chat About in Today’s Episode:
~Elizabeth’s new book, what led her to write it, and what readers can expect
~Elizabeth’s own experience and life story of being a big feeler
~Understanding a Biblical view of our feelings and how God views emotions; battling some of the myths and stereotypes surrounding emotions and feelings in Christian circles
~The problems that a legalistic view, rather than a Biblically balanced view, on emotions lead to
~My own experiences as a big feeler also raising a big feeler
~Wisdom and advice for those who are parenting big feelers
~Emotional boundaries and striking the right balance between knowing we have a God-given personality that might lead to big feelings when the reality that that personality also cannot excuse away sinful behavior
~The impact of our minds and thoughts, especially on our feelings
~The practical nature of God’s Word
~The problem big feelers have of crossing boundaries over into taking on other people’s burdens as their own rather than bearing them together; how to be empathetic but not give over into debilitating co-dependence; striking that balance
~The power of prayer
~Making choices about how you feel rather than allowing your feelings to drive your life and make you into a martyr with a victim mentality; strategies for untangling those hard feelings
~Standing our deceptive feelings up to the truths of Scripture
~And more!
Resources Mentioned
Offer for a free audiobook and 30 day trial membership from Audible: www.audibletrial.com/HomeandHearth
All the Feels: Discover Why Emotions Are (Mostly) Awesome and How to Untangle Them When They’re Not
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by Dr. David Burns
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
SteelHeart: The Reckoners Book 1 by Brandon Sanderson
Inspiring Quotes to Remember:
“God gives us emotional boundaries.”
“As a big feeler, one of the things I am most grateful for that my parents did was they never made me feel weird for having big feelings. They listened, heard me, and sought to understand.”
“It’s not about just trying to hurry up and force our kids to get over their big feelings. It’s about helping our children to grow, bit by bit, to learn how to work through their feelings.”
“We tell our kids that they are allowed to feel sad, disappointed, or angry. What is key is what they do with those feelings and that they still act in a loving way in spite of those feelings. We give our kids space to feel and to regroup and then come back to us and work through it all together.”
“You are invited to bring your each and every feeling to God. He can take them. This is so clear in the book of Psalms. He is our Father, and He wants us to experience the liberating joy that comes from realizing He can handle our feelings and wants us to bring them to Him.”
“He is THE place to go with our feelings. He invites those honest conversations.”
“If it matters to us, it matters to Him. He is our tender Father.”
“God doesn’t just love His people en masse as a whole. He also loves each of His kids individually, personally, and intimately.”
“Lamentations 3 makes it clear that He hurts when we hurt.”
“Scripture presents our spiritual journey as just that – a journey. We are adding one godly characteristic after another over time.”
“When we set our minds on godly things, it helps our hearts to follow along and our emotions to change.”
“We are called to comfort, serve, listen, and be there for those who are hurting. But we are not called to make others’ burdens a debilitating thing that steals our permission to also still live our own lives.”
“Our feelings are very real, but they do not always tell us the truth.”
“The Bible is our standard, not our emotions. Which is comforting, because our feelings fluctuate, but the Bible never changes.”
“God made you exactly the way you are for a reason. Regardless of specifically how you are emotionally, God made you that way for a purpose. And He loves you the way you are.”
“God wants you to use your emotional gift, whatever it is, whether you are a big feeler, a steady feeler, or a reluctant feeler.”
Where You Can Find Elizabeth Online:
Website – Elizabeth Laing Thompson
Instagram –@elizabethlaingthompson
Facebook – Elizabeth Laing Thompson, Author at LizzyLife
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