As a school counselor, I spend a lot of time helping students see that emotions aren’t positive or negative—they’re communicators.
Anger says, something feels unfair.
Sadness says, I’ve lost something that mattered.
Fear says, I don’t feel safe.
But some emotions are harder to translate—jealousy, discontent, inadequacy, guilt. These are the ones we tend to label as wrong or sinful. We flinch at them instead of listening. Yet what if they, too, are sacred signals?
Listening to the “Negative” Messengers
Jealousy may whisper, “I see a version of myself I’m ready to grow into.”
Discontent might murmur, “There’s more for you—this chapter has expired.“
Inadequacy can reveal, “You’re measuring your worth by something external.“
Guilt may remind, “You’ve stepped outside your values. Come home.“
These emotions aren’t moral verdicts. They’re invitations. The trouble begins when we treat them as sins instead of signs.
When we name jealousy as shameful, we’re more likely to react from it—compare, resent, withdraw.
But when we name it as information, we can respond with curiosity: What part of me is longing for expression?
The Emotion Isn’t the Sin—The Response Is
Emotion itself is neutral data.
It’s our response that determines whether it becomes healing or harm.
- Anger isn’t sin—cruelty born from anger is.
- Desire isn’t sin—using another person to satisfy it is.
- Pride isn’t sin—self-inflation to hide insecurity is.
- Envy isn’t sin—letting it sour our gratitude is.
If we read emotions as purely negative, our reactions will mirror that negativity.
If we meet them as messages, they become teachers.
The Battlefield of the Mind
There is a story in Hindu mythology found in the Bhagavad Gita that draws me to an interesting conclusion. Lord Krishna didn’t speak to Arjuna in a temple—he spoke to him on a battlefield.
Because it’s in chaos, not calm, that wisdom becomes essential.
Arjuna confessed, “My mind is restless, turbulent, and obstinate—harder to control than the wind.”
Krishna agreed: “Yes, but it can be trained through practice and detachment.”
Our emotions are like that wind. They will keep running away—that’s their nature.
The task isn’t to suppress them but to notice where they run, call them back, and ask what they’re showing us.
If jealousy runs toward admiration, we learn.
If anger runs toward justice, we heal.
If fear runs toward wisdom, we grow.
Where This Meets Me Today
In counseling sessions, classrooms, and my own living room, I keep seeing the same truth: life’s “negative” emotions aren’t proof of failure—they’re proof of being alive. The work is to pause long enough to read them before reacting to them.
When I can meet my feelings with awareness instead of judgment, I find that the battlefield quiets, even if only for a breath. And in that breath, there is grace—the kind that teaches, steadies, and gently brings the mind back home.
Well-Stirred Commitment:
I will practice noticing the moment my emotions begin to run.
I will breathe, name what I feel, and ask what it’s trying to tell me.
I will keep calling my heart back, again and again — not to silence it, but to understand it.
Well-Stirred & Wondering 
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