Let Me Think About It

Dear Sutton and Savannah, 

I am a lot better at thinking about my feelings than feeling my feelings. There may be an underlying belief that I can think them away!

One of the many traits that I admire in both of you is that you never seem to vilify your feelings. Rather you appear to hold them with acceptance and grace. Thank you for being my teacher and modeling a better way.

-Dad

Inside Out Lectionary Letters

Year A - 5th Sunday of Easter (Texts, Art, Hymns)

Readings for Sunday, May 3, 2026

Acts 7:55-60 / Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 / 1 Peter 2:2-10 / John 14:1-14

Summary of Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16

The language of this Psalm indicates an apparent threat that is imminent, though we don’t know the specific historical setting. The psalmist seems to express a movement from urgent vulnerability to surrendered trust.

Scripture as Mirror of the Soul

The words of this psalm are used by Jesus at the time of his death. He actually quotes two different psalms. The first is from Psalm 22. Jesus uses the opening line, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Then, moments before his death he quotes from Psalm 31, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Maybe there is not always a movement from anguish to trust, or from discouragement to hope. Maybe instead we are invited to hold seemingly contradictory emotions—grief and hope, fear and courage, anguish and trust—without forcing one to disappear in preference for the other.

In Psalm 31 the poet speaks of vulnerability and confidence in the same breath. Some feelings we have are very unsettling. Some emotions we push away, hoping that others won’t see our “weakness.” Some feelings pose a threat to our ego, and the way we want to be seen by others. And if those traits are ever exposed, we often want to quickly replace them with traits that will be more admirable and acceptable.

The inner journey is not about destroying or overcoming uncomfortable parts of ourselves, but to integrate them. They become less frightening when recognized, named, and given room to exist.

Unexpressed parts often hold valuable qualities. The anger you fear may be the energy you need to set boundaries. The sadness you push away may open the door to empathy. The creativity you repress may be the path to joy and meaning. When we hold opposing emotions in balance, we experience the power and insight of the integrated pair. This inner reconciliation is a path to wholeness.