Name the feeling

Do you remember Jaws? The theme tune was probably the scariest thing about the film, and while it suffered from rather a poor monster, it had a director who knew how to build suspense. Like many horror films, the moment the monster is seen it becomes less scary, we move away from fear into problem solving, OK how do we kill a giant shark, a vampire, alien, whatever it is, and before too long we find small children wearing costumes of the monsters (though not normally Jaws it has to be admitted) and trick or treating in them. Name it, look at it properly and it becomes manageable, a problem to solve.

This is true of our feelings, we don't need to deny them or pretend they are not there, or hide them away because they feel shameful, name them, accept them, perhaps even be curious about them and they lose some of their power to overwhelm us. Are you frightened? Name the fear and don't rush to resolve it, simply hear it, whether it is in yourself or someone else. When we hear what are friends are feeling we can help so much more if we do not rush into problem solving, but in that moment simply listen.

In the story of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus asks them for their name and they reply "we are legion for we are many" now demons and feelings are not the same thing, indeed those difficult feelings are often the ones that need to be heard with most compassion, but it interests me that Jesus exorcism begins by asking for their name and from that moment on there can only be one outcome. If you can name it and I can hear it, we can cope with it, it's power to hurt is broken.