2020 Daily Devotion - Day 148

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An Army Chaplain had a sign on his door that said, “If you have troubles, come in & tell me all about them. If you don’t have troubles, come in and tell me how you do it.”

 
The truth is, everyone has troubles. You can’t avoid having troubles – they are everywhere. The problem is, many people bury the pain their troubles bring them. When we do this, we make the situation even worse. In my book “Language of the Heart: Improving Every Relationship”, I talk a great deal about the need to express (to safe people in our lives) the pain we are feeling. God Himself, designed us to not only feel our feelings, but to also talk about them with others who will listen and not try to talk us out of our feelings. When we do this, we let off a little steam and the pain of our troubles is more manageable. Jesus teaches us to do this in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:4 RSV
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
 
Pray with me:
Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching us to express our feelings. The Bible says even You wept at the tomb of Your friend, Lazarus, before You raised him from the dead. Help us to learn from You, to be able to express our emotions and to allow others to do the same. In your Holy name. Amen.

Yours because of Him,
Pastor John R. Steward
Senior Pastor
Mount of Olives Church
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