A Time for Thinking and a Time for Feeling

Recently, I found myself sitting around the board room table of a church. The leadership team was processing the practical next steps in a challenging situation. While there were strong feelings, the priority was careful thinking about principled action, core beliefs, and the effects each step had on outcomes. Good thinking was critical, how we felt was of secondary significance.

Several years ago I stood in an emergency room beside a young father, his lifeless son lying on a table. Doctors and nurses stood silently, shoulders slumped with defeat, as a guttural cry of sorrow erupted from the father. Tears welled up in our eyes. We joined in the sorrow of this young couple. We felt the pain of loss with them. What we thought and knew to be true about this situation was of secondary importance and did not need to be said in that moment.

Among followers of Christ, there is often a tension between those who prioritize thoughtfulness and those who prioritize human emotion. Entire denominations have been spawned around this tension. On the RBC campus, some students crave careful teaching and are skeptical about expressive elements of worship. Other students lean into emotional connection with God and are skeptical of the thinkers who seem unaware of this opportunity.

My longing is for all followers of Jesus to be able to feel deeply, think carefully, and discern when to prioritize each!