Feeling deeply is not weakness

Feeling with intensity is not a manufacturing defect. Joy, sadness, fear, and tenderness are part of a rich human life. Trying to turn yourself into someone cold can distance you from yourself and from others. Yet neither are you a slave to every emotion. Maturity consists of recognizing what is happening within, naming it truthfully, and deciding how to act. Sometimes an emotion needs to be welcomed; other times it needs you not to hand over the steering wheel. Christian fortitude unites sensitivity and self-control. You can be wounded without wounding, feel fear and move forward, feel tired and fulfill what is necessary. Ordering your emotions does not extinguish them: it prepares them to love with greater freedom and depth.