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Emotional/Spiritual Health | Healthy to the Core | Week 1
Chelsea Arrington
Introduction: Emotional/Spiritual Health
As part of New Life’s teaching series Healthy to the Core, Chelsea Arrington opened the first message by highlighting Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:36–40—the greatest commandment. When asked what was most important in the law, Jesus replied:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Chelsea encouraged the congregation to look deeply into these words—to love God not with part of who we are, but with our whole being: heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27). This type of love cannot come from fragmented people. It comes from people who are being made whole.
The Problem: Disconnection Between Emotional and Spiritual Health
Many Christians try to grow spiritually without acknowledging their emotional health. But according to Chelsea, “Loving God with everything I am requires I understand who I am.” If believers ignore emotional wounds or suppress what they feel, it becomes nearly impossible to fully engage in spiritual life.
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, a verse Jewish people would have recited daily in the Shema:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Yet, knowing this commandment isn’t enough. Chelsea challenged listeners: “You know this well, but you’re not understanding it.” The Pharisees were experts in the law, but they missed the relational heart behind it.
The Five Components of Human Health
Chelsea introduced five core areas that form human health:
Physical
Spiritual
Intellectual/Mental
Social
Emotional
While many Christians focus on physical and spiritual health, emotional health is often overlooked or dismissed. But all five components are interrelated. A breakdown in one area—especially the emotional—impacts the rest.
Emotions Are a Good Gift from God
God created people in His image (Genesis 1:27), and that includes emotions. Chelsea walked through examples of God’s emotional nature:
Genesis 6:6 – God’s heart was deeply troubled.
Exodus 20:5 – God says, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”
Jeremiah 31:3 – “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
Mark 3:5 – Jesus was angry and deeply distressed by stubborn hearts.
Luke 10:21 – Jesus was “full of joy through the Holy Spirit.”
Even Jesus experienced sorrow, joy, grief, and compassion. To be like Him, we must acknowledge and steward our emotional life.
“Our emotions are always valid, but they are not always trustworthy,”
The Iceberg of Emotion
Using the iceberg analogy, Chelsea explained that only 10% of what we feel is visible on the surface. The remaining 90% lies beneath. Emotions like anger are often “secondary emotions,” masking deeper feelings like fear, shame, or grief.
This insight was reinforced by a clip from the Pixar movie Inside Out, where characters like Anger, Sadness, Joy, and Fear are shown steering human behavior from behind the scenes. Though humorous, it’s a powerful metaphor for how emotions operate in real life.
Personal Story: Grief That Went Unacknowledged
Chelsea shared a counseling story of a man named “Charlie” who had lost his mother two years prior to Mother’s Day. Instead of grieving, he suppressed his emotions, insisting he needed to move on. But unacknowledged grief spilled into every area of his life:
He was physically unwell.
He was emotionally shut down.
He was spiritually disconnected from God.
His marriage and relationships suffered.
This story illustrated that ignoring emotions doesn’t erase them—they come out, often in unhealthy ways. As Chelsea said, “If I don’t acknowledge some of that in my life, this emotional part of my life that God created in me, then it’s influencing my ability to know God.”
The Role of Emotions in Spiritual Growth
Healthy spiritual formation isn’t about bypassing emotions—it’s about integrating them. God designed our emotional life to:
Inform us – Emotions are signals that something important is happening.
Protect us – Emotions like fear or sadness help us process danger or loss.
Create connection – Shared joy and sorrow bring people closer together.
Think of emotions like children in the backseat of a car. You don’t put them in the trunk, and you don’t let them drive. But you also don’t ignore them. They’re there for a reason.
Emotions and Discipleship
Discipleship involves becoming more like Jesus. But Jesus wasn’t emotionally detached—He wept at Lazarus’ tomb (John 11:35), was moved by compassion (Matthew 9:36), and showed righteous anger (John 2:13–17).
“Acknowledging my emotions is essential to loving God and loving other people well.”
Emotional awareness isn’t self-help. It’s not about being “in your feelings” for its own sake. It’s about formation. Jesus invites us to live a whole life—not just one based on religious routine, but one rooted in love, honesty, and authenticity.
Action Steps: Where to Start
Chelsea concluded her message with a two-part challenge:
Find a quiet space today
Not tomorrow—today. Make time for reflection.Ask yourself two questions
a. How does God want me to see my emotions?
b. How are my emotions affecting how I love God and other people?
These questions are not quick fixes. They are invitations into a deeper walk with God. Emotional honesty opens the door to healing, transformation, and intimacy with both God and others.
Final Encouragement: God Meets You Where You Are
God knows what you’re feeling. Whether it’s sorrow, joy, numbness, or anxiety—He is not far off. He doesn’t shame you for your emotions. Instead, He draws near and offers healing.
“God wants you to live a full, abundant life.”
Jesus said in John 10:10,
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
And the road to that life begins not with pretending everything is fine—but by being honest with where you are.
Conclusion
The Healthy to the Core series begins with the most foundational of human needs: to love God with all that we are. Chelsea Arrington reminded the New Life Church community that spiritual maturity requires emotional maturity. The two are not separate.
Embracing the emotions God gave us, rather than suppressing them, is a pathway to healing and deeper relationship with Him.
Let us not simply know the greatest commandment—let us live it.
“Loving God with everything I am requires I understand who I am.”
Did you like Healthy to the Core – Week 1 – Emotional/Spiritual Health? If so, check out more of our Sunday teachings here.
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