God invites us to benefit from the life he has given us with freedom. One of Riley’s mainstays from each Inside Out movies is her love for hockey. There are so many moments when she almost loses her love of the sport as a consequence of shame, insecurity, or envy. But, as she works through those emotions and learns from them, she is capable of have a good time, play, and luxuriate in her passions and skills with freedom. David, in Psalm 16:6, declares that the boundary lines of his life have “fallen in nice places.” In other words, God has given us the gift of life to enjoy, to play, to please in. Your emotional health matters—are inclined to it—so which you could live fully within the life God has given you. In John 10:10, Jesus says that he got here to present life and provides it abundantly. Don’t let shame, insecurity, or envy steal your joy. But don’t ignore them either. Seek self-care and help from knowledgeable when you need it, and seek God with your whole emotions—in order that God can put them of their proper perspective and you possibly can live freely, as God designed you to.
There’s a cute post-credit scene at the tip of the film a couple of secret Riley has been carrying. Even that may be a spiritual lesson. Sometimes, the emotions we hide at the underside of our hearts or keep as a secret are ready to return out. We have to stop ignoring them. Why? So that God can bring greater healing and wholeness to our hearts and souls. As we are inclined to our emotions with care and curiosity, we will love and be loved by others higher, live more freely and abundantly, and experience more of the transformational love of God.
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