Christian Author Helps Women Explain, Embrace Their God-Given Emotions
Christian author and speaker Carol McLeod is gearing up to explore the spiritual side of women's emotions next month with the release of her new book HOLY ESTROGEN: Every Woman's Guide to Making Her Emotions the Holiest Part of Her.
McLeod told The Christian Post that she went through years of battling depression until she "developed an addiction to the word of God." She said she finally discovered a way to live above her circumstances, but also realized in the process that there are many Christian women who are "enslaved to emotions and circumstances, [even though] God never designed us to live that way."
Often, in the rush of life, the negative effects of women's emotions emerge in different situations with detrimental results. Statistics show that women are twice as likely to experience depression as men, and that depression is the leading cause of disability for women in the world.
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Women have to learn how to guard their emotions, McLeod told CP. The Bible says the heart is deceitful above all else, your heart and soul is the "birthplace of emotions, passions and desires, the Bible is saying emotions don't tell you the truth," she explained.
To discern conflicting and negative emotions, "we have to take it to the cross, give it to Jesus, bless and not curse and not sit in emotional sewage. Victory is by forgiveness, by blessing those who have wronged you," McLeod said.
McLeod contends that God gave women emotions so they can be fully alive on the inside and wholeheartedly engaged with the life He has given. Her book also explores the idea that when women learn to let go of themselves and allow the Holy Spirit to control their emotions, they are more open to achieving their God given purpose here on earth.
"I do not believe that God intended for women to live a roller coaster life ordered by the fluctuation of some hormone that you exert absolutely no control over," McLeod explained in a statement. "God's plan has always been that you would decrease and that He would increase."
But she noted this is often harder than it looks because emotions travel faster than thoughts. She explains in the book that in order to make any progress in taking control of emotion, the first step is a realization of when you are reacting to certain situations out of emotion.
Other practical solutions for gaining control include daily Bible study and quiet time with God, and being involved in a women's group Bible study.
Women are wired not to be content or fulfilled outside of intimacy with God; they are wired to need Jesus. "God wired us to deal with our emotions, gave us estrogen to fuel our emotional responses to life," she said.
She explained that God has a plan for emotions, one in which women need more of Him to flourish
The "emotional longing inside of you is really about having a relationship with the lover of your soul who is Jesus," she said. "The way we make emotions holy is using them for purposes for which God intended from the beginning of time. He wired us to need him and get fulfillment out of Him."
