The Bible teaches us a lot about emotions. Through God’s Word, we can see joy and sadness, courage and fear, confidence and worry, disappointment and surprise. We can see that emotions are common to everyone and a very important part of our lives. Let’s learn more about some of the many emotions we experience.

Divide the teens into 4 groups. Give each group 1 of the psalms on the tear-out page at the end of the lesson. Have the groups read their passages and decide what emotions the sections express. The answers and psalms are printed here for your reference. Do not share the answer until each group has answered.

Group 1: Joy and gratitude

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
Psalm 33:1–5

Group 2: Loneliness and sadness

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.
Psalm 25:16–17

Group 3: Fear and worry

My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”
Psalm 55:4–6

Group 4: Bravery and hope

Memory Verse

Show the Memory Verse poster if you are using it.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1

Group 5: Anger and jealousy

My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.
Psalm 109:1–5

Give the groups 4–5 minutes to talk about their psalms. Then have each group read their psalm aloud to the class and state what emotions they see in the psalm. After each group reads, ask the whole class the following question.

• What words did the writer use to express these emotions?

As you can see from these psalms, God gave us many emotions. Some emotions, such as happiness and excitement, are wonderful to experience. Others, such as sadness and shame, cause us great pain. But all emotions are a gift. They help us to make decisions, act when we need to, and relate better to other people. They help us to avoid danger, and they make our lives richer and more enjoyable. They are also signs or signals that something is happening in our lives and that we should respond.

• Why do you think God gave us emotions?
• Do you think it is good that He gave us difficult emotions such as anger, fear, and grief? Why or why not?

Guide the students to understand that even difficult emotions can help us to learn and grow.

• The Bible tells us that God experiences emotions, too. What kinds of emotions do you think He feels?

Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.

God experiences many of the same emotions you do—love, anger, jealousy, grief, compassion, and joy. But there is a difference. We live in a sinful, broken world. Human emotions are caused by our human reactions to the things around us. Often, they are focused only on ourselves and not on others. Sometimes they cause us to make unwise choices or to do things we regret. But God is always good and just, so His emotions are always good and always just. His emotions are never the result of sin, and they do not lead Him to sin, as they often do for us.

Listen to what the Bible tells us about emotions.

Have a student read Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 aloud from the Bible. If that is not possible, the verses are printed here for you.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8

• What are some of the emotions expressed in this passage?

Encourage the students to think not only about the emotions that are specifically mentioned but also those that are the result of the life situations listed, such as birth and death, killing and healing, war and peace.

• What do these verses tell us about the importance of all emotions?

There is a time for every human emotion.

Optional: If you are using The NIV Action Study Bible, the teens can read about the emotions of the psalm writers in the “God in Action” and “People in Action” sections at the beginning of the book of Psalms.

We all experience many different emotions. They are a healthy part of being human. But even though everyone experiences emotions, we often try to hide the way we feel. We do not want others to know that we feel ashamed, hurt, or embarrassed. We do not want others to see that we are grieving or angry. But when we hide our feelings or do not manage them well, it can cause emotional and physical problems in our lives.

• What are some emotions that people try to hide?

Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.

• What are some ways people try to hide these emotions?

Some possible answers include pretending everything is fine, avoiding conversations about their lives, ignoring their emotions, and isolating themselves.

Teacher Tip: It may help your students to share more freely if you share about a situation when you tried to hide your emotions or handled them in an unhealthy way.

Ignoring your emotions or pretending you are not feeling them can make you sick. It can also make it more difficult for you to learn to manage your emotions well. It also harms your relationships with others. When you do not share emotions with those who care about you, they may feel that you do not trust them. Or they may not want to trust you. Ignoring your emotions or pretending you are not feeling them does not make the emotions go away. It just keeps you from expressing them in ways that can help you to manage them better.

Another way we can cause physical and emotional harm to ourselves and others is by not managing our emotions well. We may allow our emotions to change our behaviour in negative ways or keep us from having healthy relationships with other people.

• What are some emotions that people do not manage well?

Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.

• What are some ways they show that they are not managing these emotions well?

Some possible answers include using drugs or alcohol, behaving in violent or self-destructive ways, or pushing others away.

Turn to your neighbour. I will read a situation, and you and your partner will decide if the person in the situation is ignoring the emotions, not managing the emotions well, or expressing the emotions in a healthy way. If the teen in the situation is not managing the emotions well, suggest a healthy way the teen can change his emotional responses.

• Situation 1: Amanda’s mother works many hours each day. She has 3 younger siblings, and she is almost entirely responsible for their care. When her friends ask if she is okay, she tells them everything is fine.
• Situation 2: Charles grew up on the streets. He did not start attending school until he was 12. One of his teachers started bringing him clean clothes and food. She even invited him to attend her church. Charles did not talk to her at first, but now he is starting to share a little bit more about his life and how it feels to live on his own.
• Situation 3: Salome’s father left her at an orphanage a few years ago. He told her that he did not want her because she was a girl. He said that girls are a great expense and do not bring anything good to the family. Now she steals at the market and drinks alcohol every day.

The teens in these situations had good reasons for experiencing strong emotions. But some of them were expressing their emotions in healthy ways, and others were not.

• What do you think will happen to these teens if they continue to ignore their emotions or express them in unhealthy ways?
• How do you think these teens could grow and connect more deeply with others if they expressed their emotions in healthy ways?

The Bible tells us we are not meant to live alone. We were created to have fellowship with God and with other people. When we do not know how to express our emotions in healthy ways, it separates us from God and from others. But when we learn to express them in healthy ways, our emotions can help us to learn about ourselves and others and have better relationships.