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Emotional maturity is key to your spiritual growth. That’s why I start with the heart and the skills for emotional maturity when pursuing spiritual growth. It takes emotional maturity to carry out the spiritual instruction in the Bible.

For example, when you read a passage like James 1:19, 20 about being slow to anger you might think or have been told that you need to be more spiritual to do that. You don’t need to be more spiritual you need to be emotionally mature.

Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]; for the [resentful, deep-seated] anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God [that standard of behavior which He requires from us]. James 1:19,20 Amplified Bible

Being a careful listener when someone is confronting you or questioning a decision takes emotional maturity to listen without taking anything personally or without defending yourself. You need emotional maturity to listen and form a response rather than reacting to what is said.

It also takes emotional maturity to see when you feel like reacting so you can bring that place in you that wants to react to the Lord for healing or correction.

Seeing something from someone else’s point of view requires emotional maturity.
"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15)

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

It requires emotional maturity to not need people to understand you or to not need people to be like you, to be able to love them. To not take it personally if they don't understand what you're saying. To be able to be curious and be able to stay in conversations until there can be understanding of why they think the way they do, to see whether that's because they haven't been in the kingdom very long or because they've been taught wrong or life experiences or whatever it is.

Being able to have those conversations and sit with disagreements and differences requires emotional maturity as well as spiritual maturity.

It also takes emotional maturity to understand when you're feeling your own emotions versus someone else's or when you're trying to manage something for someone else versus being mature and responsible for yourself.

It takes that emotional maturity to let someone around you be sad or be angry to feel however they feel instead of needing them to feel a certain way for you to be okay.

It takes emotional maturity to see what's yours and what someone else's. If you're feeling sad or overwhelmed or scared or whatever, having the emotional maturity to practice discernment to see is this mine? Is this current, or is it feeling what someone else is feeling? Is it a spirit? Is it something from the past? Having that emotional maturity then allows you to ask the Lord for spiritual insight of why you are responding the way you are.

I talk about all this in more depth in this week’s podcast.

00:00 Why Emotions Matter
00:38 Slow to Anger Skills
02:15 Empathy in Romans 12
02:53 Compassionate Perspective
03:51 Safe Conversations
05:15 Discern Your Emotions
07:38 Faith Culture and Feelings
09:13 Childhood Roles Reversed
11:52 Unlearning Neglect Messages
14:46 Grace for Your Parents
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• Find community in Healing Generations
• Learn how God communicates with you in Transformational Quiet Times

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Boundaries aren’t impatience.

They don’t mean you are not being loving.

Boundaries are about what you will do, not getting someone else to do what you want them to do.

If you’re like me the idea of boundaries sounds freeing and empowering - right up to the point you try to put them in place. It took me years to understand how to state what I needed and what I was going to do rather than trying to control the outcome of someone else’s choices.

If you grew up without healthy boundaries it can be tricky to change your thinking and put them into practice.

You’re right, though. They are empowering and create freedom. It is worth figuring out how to use them properly.

To see how boundaries do and do not come into this situation listen to today’s episode.

Podcast Chapters

00:00 Boundaries Defined

00:14 Facebook Post Example

01:28 Contract vs Ultimatum

02:43 Gods Loving Boundaries

03:59 Learning Healthy Boundaries

05:06 Scissors Stewardship Lesson

06:55 Car Borrowing Boundary

09:50 Freedom Fear and Control

11:39 Access Points and Limits

13:09 Self Worth and Creator

14:18 Invitation and Closing

I'd love to connect with you!

• Find community in Healing Generations
• Learn how God communicates with you in Transformational Quiet Times

I'd love to hear from you! Text me

You know the times you look back and wonder why your reaction to an event was over the top. This happens when the current event reminds you of a past event or events that felt the same way. The emotions from the past have not felt heard, the needs have not been met.

When something happens that feels the same the old emotions try again to be heard and so you are overreacting.

It creates a shame strom. Shame storms are not fun. They can be survived and even disarmed with practice.

00:00 When Reassurance Hurts
00:42 Inside a Shame Storm
01:38 Learning to Quiet Shame
02:03 Facing the Storm Safely
02:46 Sorting Thoughts and Lies
04:08 Emotions Past and Present
05:30 Your Reaction Is a Clue
06:25 Comforting Soul With Truth
07:36 Tools to Move Forward
07:57 Invitation and Next Steps

I'd love to connect with you!

• Find community in Healing Generations
• Learn how God communicates with you in Transformational Quiet Times