Have you ever been told that you are “too emotional?” Perhaps there are times we feel like we’re failing because we’re feeling. But the truth is, God created us to be emotional beings. Jesus Himself experienced an intense spectrum of emotions—He embraced the sadness, the loneliness, and the anger that all of us feel—and by meeting those feelings, He was able to respond to people in ways that demonstrated emotional maturity and love. 

News anchor and host of Big Brother Julie Chen Moonves always prioritized her career, and committed herself to every opportunity in her path, until she began to notice a deep sense of loneliness, and realized that in her pursuit of success she had tuned God out of her life. When she started to tune back into Him, she found the peace she’d been so desperately longing for. Dr. Anita Phillips has studied the intersections of mental health, faith, and culture—and made the discovery that Jesus was an intensely emotional being, and through His example, we can know that there’s an incredible amount of good that can come when we learn to embrace our emotions instead of running from them.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling

Jesus Always

Jesus Listens

Past interview: Dr. Gary Chapman

Upcoming interview: Kerry Washington

Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt  

Julie Chen Moonves 

Big Brother

Little House on the Prairie

CBS News

The Talk

But First, God

Dr. Anita Phillips

Matthew 13 NIV

Hebrews 4:15 NIV

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

www.anitaphillips.com

The Garden Within

Interview Quotes:

“There is no such thing as coincidence. God is in control. God either ordains it or He allows it.” - Julie Chen Moonves

“If you don't put God first, what do you have? Everything you have is because of Him, and I didn't realize that until I was closing in on fifty, because I spent the first forty-eight years of my life ignoring God and having false idols.” - Julie Chen Moonves

“It's easier to be in this world and look at everything just from your lens. Now, I know it's not about my lens, it's about His lens. Everything is about His agenda, not mine. That's what Amen means, it means Thy will be done. Not my will, Thy will.”- Julie Chen Moonves 

“God knows how to give you what you need, depending on what you're going through at that moment in your life.” - Julie Chen Moonves

“He has changed how I live, what I prioritize, how I think, how I speak, how I act, how I treat other people, whether I know them or not. Tomorrow is expected, but it is not promised. So having God first in my life has made everyone else in my life have a better relationship with me. It's a trickle-down effect.” - Julie Chen Moonves

“God created gardens to give us an understanding of how He created us. Eden wasn't just about where we lived, it was about how we function.” - Dr. Anita Phillips

“Every time Jesus allowed the full expression of His emotion, power followed, and I never once saw Jesus repent for feeling.” - Dr. Anita Phillips 

“We must recognize that emotion is a bodily experienc