This was our third “At the Movies” Sunday! We took a look at Pixar’s Inside Out and the power emotions have in our lives. For anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, it’s an animated story about the emotions (portrayed as characters) that live inside of a young girl named Riley—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. Each emotion works to protect Riley from the world—they cause her to feel fear when she’s in danger, disgust when unknown food is introduced to her, etc.
Sometimes emotions become overwhelming, something people would rather not have to deal with. However, the Bible tells us that we are wonderfully made, and that includes our emotions! “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139: 13-14). While we might think it’d be nice to experience only joy in our lives, just like the character Joy, I have to ask if this is how God created us to be.
One of the scenes in Inside Out shows Joy trying to control all of Riley’s emotions and experiences. She gets upset when Sadness interferes and causes her to feel sadness and associate past memories with sadness. It’s important to note that Sadness seems to have little to no control over her actions in this scene, almost as if her role in Riley’s life is inevitable. Sadness’ actions throw all of the other emotions off course and cause Riley to feel extreme sadness, especially after moving and attending a new school. Her emotions become out of control and cause her to make unwise decisions.
You might be tempted to think that if we didn’t have to experience sadness, our lives would be a whole lot easier! It’s easy to say we could do without sadness, but think about how different life events have appropriate responses/emotions. Would it be appropriate to experience joy when learning about genocide, war, racism, or injustice? Or is it better that we have the choice to feel for others and to mourn with them? When both Joy and Sadness get lost in Riley’s mind, her only emotions are Anger, Fear, and Disgust. This leaves her unable to relate to others properly. When our emotions are in balance, it helps us react to life the way we should and to be there for others. The goal is to become the person God created each of us to be—people with many emotions! The next time you feel sad, be thankful that you are a created being with intricate and unique emotions. Yes, when we know Christ we should be able to walk through life with joy and take authority over our mind, will, and emotions, resulting in positive thoughts, words, and actions. But don’t be discouraged by the emotion sadness; it helps create balance.