Robbers of Your Joy

Growing up in a stern German family meant that you did not show a lot of emotion for happiness, pain, or much of anything because, to the father, it showed weakness.  As a young boy I would get a bump or scrap and one of my father's comments was, "If you can't see the bone, then you will be alright." 

I recall that I was allowed to cry for a limited time on my father's schedule.  No matter whether it was an injury, or hurt feelings, or for any reason, my Dad would say, "Dry the crying up or I will give you something to cry about."    My father learned that from his father, who learned it from his father, so this part of their life  was passed on.

So I learned to swallow feelings and emotions so that my father would not see me express my true feelings.  In fact I did not shed a tear from 1961 until 1974 which was at my grandmother's funeral.  I still did not show it at the funeral but when I was alone.  I am not complaining but I did learn to keep my emotions shut down.

Thanks to my mother allowing me to show emotions in my older years and not get condemned, the results have been that I can now show emotional feelings for things like emotional programs and movies, death of a loved one, or pain in someones life. But I do not show happiness openly. 

I can get excited about a success, but the feeling wears off quickly and one "you're wrong" kills any joy that was created.  Now I know how wrong I can be and beat myself up constantly over my daily errors.  But just hearing the words which sometimes is said to make someone else think the are "Superior" makes me emotionally run.

Do you know people who rob you of your joy?  They can suck the very life out of you. 

As for me, I still try to get some time alone with the Lord and cry before him.  I know that I can show my emotions to Him and he understands. 

So how do you deal with the robbers?