Are you Connected?

For a number of years Ken was a capable professional man, a dedicated church worker, and a leader in his community. Outwardly he functioned very well. However, people had difficulty in getting close to Ken because he seemed aloof. His family relationships were not good and he had ulcers. Vaguely sensing an inner emptiness, Ken joined a recovery group where he discovered that he was repressing man! y of his emotions.
Ken is still in the process of rediscovering his repressed self. Fortunately, since learning to recognize and express many of his true feelings in healthy ways, his ulcers have cleared up, and his family relationships have improved considerably.
Unfortunately, many people are taught to ignore their negative emotions. As John T. Raffa wrote in Psychology for Living magazine. "They believe you should hide such feelings—deny, deny, deny—and become nothing but a robot instead of what God made us, beings with feelings."
Obviously, the early Christians didn't act this way otherwise they never would have been known for their love one for another. Peter, James, John and Paul all emphasized the need to be honest, to be open-faced, to walk in the light, to openly confess sins and faults, and to love one another. Closed people are unable to fully love, neither can they have any kind of emotional intimacy in marriage and close relationships.
Only as we walk in the light—in openness and honesty—we have true fellowship or connection with both God and other people. And only then do we open ourselves to fully live and fully love—and become open channels for God's love to flow through.
"If we claim to have fellowship with him [God] yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7, NIV).
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please reveal to me every barrier in my life that blocks my feeling close to you and my loved ones so I can know true intimacy with you and the ones I love the most. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."