First posted to: https://surehopecounseling.com/emotion-in-scripture-rollercoasters-and-the-life-of-joseph/
There is no doubt a host of emotions on display in the lines of the scariest rollercoasters and rides at any local theme park. I often shudder internally as I remember hanging upside down from Carowinds’ “Frenzoid” in the late 90s alongside my friends… just hoping and praying that whatever was holding me in would not break.
How are theme park rides relevant to a blog about mental health, counseling, and faith? The circumstances of life often feel like a rollercoaster traveling high, low, and loopty-loop with our emotions hanging on for dear life. Maybe we even close our eyes to pretend like the ride is not so scary. We try to fool our emotions into believing “I’m okay, it’s not so bad” or “If I don’t look, maybe it’ll be less scary”. I can attest to the fact that 30 years later, no amount of eye-closing fooled my nervous system into believing that I was safe on the Frenzoid. As I replay the terror years later in my mind, my body still reacts.
As a believer, when I consider how life circumstances take our emotions for a ride, I attempt to look at this reality through a biblical lens. Where and when do we see emotions show up in scripture? How are they addressed and expressed by both man and by God? When I began to consider these questions, it felt overwhelming to consider all the emotions we read about in scripture. Even looking at one emotion across the biblical narrative is quite a feat. As I continued to think on the topic, I realized that emotions carry meaning when they are understood through the lens of those who experience them. Not only do we understand emotion through our lived experiences, but through the lived experiences of others communicated in story. I can better grasp feelings of anguish and despair because of the story of Job. I have a better understanding of what it means to feel (and act) courageous because of the story of Esther. I grow in compassion as I consider the story of Joseph as he journeyed through hardship, experienced significant distress, and remained faithful.
Let’s camp here for a moment and consider how Joseph’s story teaches us about living through a myriad of events that would most certainly bring about numerous and even conflicting emotions. As the most favored of Jacob’s twelve sons, he received special treatment from his father, which fueled jealousy among his brothers. Their resentment eventually led them to sell him into slavery in Egypt. Despite these circumstances, Joseph’s hard work, integrity, and diligence earned him a position of authority in the household of Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. However, after refusing the advances of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was falsely accused of misconduct and imprisoned. While in prison, his God-given ability to interpret dreams became known, and he was eventually remembered by Pharaoh’s cupbearer. This led to Joseph being summoned to interpret Pharaoh’s troubling dreams when no one else could explain them. As a result, Pharaoh appointed Joseph as second-in-command over all of Egypt. Years later, Joseph was given the opportunity to reunite with the very brothers who had betrayed him, choosing forgiveness instead of revenge. He was also reunited with his father, Jacob, and was able to provide for and protect his family throughout the famine and for years afterward.
Joseph’s life was marked by dramatic shifts between deep suffering and extraordinary favor, creating intense highs and lows. As the favored son of Jacob, he likely enjoyed a sense of security, love, and confidence, yet that privilege also made him the target of his brothers’ jealousy and hatred. The shock and betrayal of being sold into slavery by his own family must have brought intense fear, grief, and abandonment, which led to deep distress (Genesis 42:21). In Egypt, Joseph worked diligently and rose to a position of trust in Potiphar’s household, perhaps experiencing renewed hope and purpose, only to have his world turned upside down again when he was falsely accused and imprisoned for a actions he did not commit. The frustration, injustice, and despair of prison were followed by another disappointment when the cupbearer forgot him after promising to help. Yet Joseph’s circumstances changed once more when he was called before Pharaoh to interpret dreams, leading to an astonishing rise from prisoner to second-in-command over all of Egypt. Finally, Joseph experienced the emotional complexity of facing the brothers who had betrayed him, wrestling with memories of past wounds while extending forgiveness and reconciliation (Genesis 45:5; 50:19–21). His eventual reunion with his father and the opportunity to provide for his family during the famine brought restoration after years of loss (Genesis 46-47).
Perhaps that is one of the most important lessons we can learn from Joseph’s story and from the broader narrative of Scripture: God never asks us to pretend “the ride” isn’t scary. Joseph experienced betrayal, fear, grief, disappointment, hope, joy, love, and forgiveness. His emotions were not evidence of weak faith, they were evidence of his humanity. Throughout Scripture, we see people bringing their emotions honestly before God rather than hiding them from Him.
As counselors, we recognize that emotions carry important information about our experiences, relationships, losses, and needs. As believers, we can also recognize that emotions often become the very places where God meets us, shapes us, and reminds us of His presence. The goal is not to eliminate emotions or convince ourselves that everything is fine. The goal is to understand them, respond to them wisely, and invite God into them.
Unlike my younger self hanging upside down on the Frenzoid, desperately wishing the ride would end, we do not have to navigate life’s emotional rollercoaster alone. The highs and lows, sharp turns and unexpected drops may still come, but Scripture reminds us that God remains present through every twist in the track. We may not always enjoy the ride, but we can trust the One who never leaves our side while we’re on it.
-Courtenay McFarlin – learn more about working with Courtenay here!
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