I believe that the ultimate invitation of life is to know that we are fully and unconditionally loved by our Creator, who is a friendly God of the Universe. I believe we are also uniquely created, called, equipped, sent, and accompanied to be healthy, safe, loving presences for others. You are safe. You are known. You belong. You are enough. You are a unique gift to the world. And, being mindful of the full safety of these realities, you are invited to be a force of unconditional love in your world – with Richard Shwartz’s “Eight Cs” of curiosity, calm, confidence, compassion, creativity, clarity, courage, and connectedness.*
I am interested in how each of the core human emotions – anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and happiness – can be an invitation to encounter the loving and healing presence of one’s Creator. The Christian faith uniquely offers a safe, centering, unconditionally loving presence that can guide us towards healing and growth. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I find this love and healing revealed in the words and actions of Jesus, whom I believe is that loving presence in human form. J. B. Phillips translates St. Paul’s description of Jesus in Colossians 1:15 as “the visible expression of the invisible God.” What if God (love) showed up and revealed what a loving encounter with each emotion could be like? Even for those who do not adhere to Christian faith, Jesus can be a symbol of our being beloved, and he can be a model of being a grounded, safe lover of others. Part of each chapter in my newest book, ‘Five Invitations: Engaging Your FRive Core Emotions for Healing and Growth’, includes the exploration of a scene from a gospel account of Jesus experiencing these emotions himself and being with people as they experience these emotions. I explore how Jesus can be that safe, unconditionally loving presence we need, and can welcome our true selves, inviting transformation in these experiences. I explore what it may have looked like and felt like for love itself to show up in human form and interact with other humans experiencing each of these core emotions.
[*] Richard C. Schwartz, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with The Internal Family Systems Model (Sounds True Inc., Boulder, CO, 2021), p. 98
