Do you ever feel bad about feeling bad?  Maybe you are in the middle of a spiritual battle or a physical trial.  Maybe you are living in relational tension.  Maybe you are super frustrated with this COVID mess and just want to be “done with it!”  All of the aforementioned bring fatigue, frustration and stress…this affects our emotions.  We feel bad.  Then, in light of all we know, we start to feel bad about feeling bad.  We think about all we have learned about joy and peace and eternal life and think, “I am the worst Christian in the world.”  Or, “If I was a good Christian, I would be living the triumphant life, rising above my circumstances to the glory of God.”  It’s not wrong to aspire to such ideals and we could probably live “there” more than we do but even the Perfect Man endured the afflictions of this life and was “sorrowful and deeply distressed.”  We know that He was a Man who understood sorrow and was acquainted with grief.  Some of us try to hide our emotions and/or deny their reality.  To be fully human is to be healthy emotionally and to be healthy emotionally is to recognize and confess our emotions.  “It’s fine, I’m fine, everything is fine,” is not a verse from the Bible, it’s from a T-shirt.  If you are fine, don’t look for a reason not to be.  However, if you are struggling, maybe you need to confess it to someone.  Maybe you need to talk about your struggle.  Perhaps you could bring it to the throne of grace where you will find mercy and His active assistance in your time of need.  The struggle is real, He knows!  More about this on Sunday…