Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Emotions saturate Scripture. God is an emotional God-not in the same way we talk about an emotional person. But God is certainly aware of the runaway emotions we're referring to when we put a negative spin on emotions. We can't escape God's presence. That means he sees and hears alongside us, including our (often messy) emotions. And if we let him, God will replace...