Inside Out 2: Feeling good with Jesus

With Inside Out 2 now in cinemas, Ivan Radford encourages us to experience fullness of emotions with Jesus.

‘The Riley we knew is gone!’ That’s Disgust talking in Inside Out 2. The sequel to Pixar’s 2015 film is once again set inside the mind of Riley, a young girl whose actions are influenced by a range of emotions: Disgust, Anger, Fear, Sadness and Joy.

Inside Out 2 takes place as Riley turns 13 and starts high school. With those changes come four new emotions: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment and Anxiety. As Anxiety starts taking control, it’s almost the opposite to the first film’s premise, which saw Joy attempting to suppress other emotions that she perceived as negative. The central tension, however, remains profoundly unchanged: the internal struggle to hold on to a sense of self amid fluctuating feelings, pressures, changes and worries. That struggle isn’t restricted just to teenagers.

The character of Joy, notably, isn’t named Happiness. Joy, after all, can incorporate sadness, grief and pain. It is experienced not simply despite other feelings, but is shaped through and informed by them.

As Christians, we can become focused on equating joy with happiness, trying to always be happy and ignoring our other feelings. This, however, is not how we were created. We were created by God with the capacity to feel a multitude of emotions. We know that Jesus was fully human and, when he came to Earth, experienced all the feelings we do. We also know that, without the sadness and pain of Good Friday, he – and we – would not have the joy of the Resurrection.

Our territory has a vision of fullness of life for all with Jesus. Fullness of life is not restricted to the times in our lives when we feel happy – it includes every emotion we feel. We are called to fullness of life with Jesus, to go through life in relationship with him.

The Bible is packed with stories of people doing just that, with the psalms in particular chronicling a roller coaster of ups and downs as shared with God. They run the gamut of feelings, from fear and doubt to gratitude and joy.

Tucked away in the middle of the Bible is Lamentations, a book filled with sadness that people often overlook – or perhaps avoid. But amid its frank emotional experience is the inspiration behind one of the most uplifting hymns ever written: ‘My soul is downcast within me. Yet … I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness’ (3:20–23).

God’s faithfulness means that he is always with us. And we know – and want others to know – that life with Jesus is better than life without him. That doesn’t mean we never feel sad, frustrated or worried. It means we know we are accompanied by God during those times.

Mark 12:30 tells us to love the Lord with ‘all your heart, soul, mind, and strength’ (Contemporary English Version) – to invite him into every corner of our hearts and minds. By rooting our sense of selves in God’s compassionate, loving faithfulness, we can be kinder to ourselves – and others – for feeling the way we do. We can acknowledge all our emotions as valid, without judgement. We can remember that it’s OK not to be OK and that, even when you might feel like your sense of self has gone, God is still there with you.

Reflect and respond

• How often do you forgive yourself – and other people – for feeling sad, frustrated, worried or angry?
• Do you bring all your feelings to God in prayer?
• ‘Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not...’ Reflect on the words of ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness’ (SASB 26). Pray for strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.