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It's common to want to seek to control our emo- tions—to only show certain ones or to try to get more of another. What's behind this mindset? How can we cultivate a healthier relationship with the emotions we experience? Where we generally seek regulation, God's face is turned toward restoration. We often try to manage ourselves, especially our emotions, and while we do need to consider self-control and address where we can bring destruction to ourselves and others, we also live in the freedom of Christ and the knowledge of God's stated value over us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We are invited to reflect on our identity as God's dear chil- dren and live in that relationship, growing and learning without shame. Managing us, regulating, is an important aspect of the law—of boundaries, of living as a human in need of help and structure in a broken world. Yet, we will never fulfill it. Jesus fulfills the law perfectly so that we can be restored to relationship with God and focus our energy and attention on His grace meeting each of us in every moment of every day. How do emotions connect us to one another? What helpful role can emotions play in the life of the Church? In Emotions and the Gospel, you'll read about the concept of co-regulation, which is a phenomenal, weird, and wild gift of God to us. We were created to be connected in ways we don't completely understand. Our emotions are a piece of this connection puzzle. As humans, we are capable of much good and much destruction. With God's restorative lens of grace in our lives, we can honestly look at where our emotions lean toward adding the weight of destruction to our relationships and where they are adding good, growth, and grace. How does becoming more aware of our own emo- tions better prepare us to live out our various vocations? Our baggage, including emotional baggage, is often sitting quietly or not so quietly between us and those with whom we live and work. The same is true for our joys, including our emotional joy and energy. Knowing God and ourselves better helps us understand our emo- tions, our neighbors, and how to move forward with a Gospel-grace foot. Why is having a place to rest so important, even when experiencing "happy" emotions? When we limit God to being present only in the emo- tions we feel are pleasant—or even unpleasant—we limit our ability to see God in all things (Colossians 1:16–17). We unintentionally place our hand out in the air and keep our awareness of God's action and grace in our lives at arm's length. In your book, you invite readers to consider a question we don't know the answer to. I'd like to hear your reflection on the same question: What do you think emotional wholeness will look like when Jesus restores all things? This is a fun question to consider, and I hope the reader feels that way too. Any time we get to imagine what wholeness and restoration will look like, it's not the answer that necessarily matters, but the sense that God is working and leading us toward goodness and something better. In a weird way, reflecting on the long- term restoration God has planned for us with Jesus' return and the new creation, we also become more aware of God's restorative work in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in our lives each day. Anything else you'd like to share about processing emotions through the Gospel? God is not judging our emotions in the same way we do. He created us to be thinkers, feelers, and doers. All of those things can be impacted by sin, but none of them are sin themselves. When sin and brokenness do impact what we think, feel, or do, we are still judged within the grace of Jesus Christ, not outside of it. This is the Gospel for our emotions. This is the Gospel for our whole selves. Read more from Heidi at heidigoehmann.com as she advocates for mental health, emotional health, and genuine relationships—always with hope in Jesus.• Heidi Goehmann, Emotions and the Gospel: Created for Connec- tion (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2022). Continue learning about your emotions from a biblical perspective in Emotions and the Gospel. You'll see how to embrace the range of your emotions as God's gifts. Find this title and others in this issue at cph.org. EMOTIONS AND THE GOSPEL: CREATED FOR CONNECTION Lutheran Life 5

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