by Rev Douglas Brauner

Even Jesus experienced unhappy emotions.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

How do you test a new camera? You take it out into your backyard, and shoot a roll of film.

Happy Duck

I have many pictures that I’ve taken in my backyard. I’ve used some of those pictures as the focus of other Praying With The Eyes devotions. You may remember pictures of gnomes, birds, and my garden. I might have even written a blog about Happy Duck. Yes, that is what I call this guy who inhabits my vegetable garden.

He never stops smiling.

Even when he’s rained on, hailed on, and experiencing the blazing sun he keeps on smiling. It doesn’t have to be a 75 degree day, with a slight breeze, for him to smile. He was crafted, shaped, and molded to smile.

Doesn’t that irritate you?

Happy Duck begs the question: Does being a Christian mean that we’re always happy, that we always wear a smile on our face?

“Jesus wept.”
John 11:35 English Standard Version

Jesus didn’t always walk around with a smile on his face. He wept when Lazarus died. However, John doesn’t explain why Jesus wept. Was it because Lazarus died? Did he weep because others wept? Did he weep because of the lack of faith that he might have perceived in the crowd?

Why Jesus wept is not as important as the fact that he did. He understands our emotions.

He understands that we are not always happy ducks. We experience many emotions. It’s okay to be happy, and sad. Dare we say that it’s okay to be angry? Remember, Jesus was upset with his disciples when they prevented children from coming to him.

It may not be wrong to experience emotions, but it is important what we do with our emotions. Jesus used his grief, even his anger, for godly purposes. May we also see our God-given emotions as a way of leading people to the foot of the cross. May God use our emotions to further his work.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado