EMOTION

I am spellbound by the intensity of Jesus' emotions: Not a twinge of pity, but heartbroken compassion; not a passing irritation, but terrifying anger; not a silent tear, but groans of anguish; not a weak smile, but ecstatic celebration. Jesus' emotions are like a mountain river cascading with clear water. My emotions are more like a muddy foam or a feeble trickle.  

G. Walter Hansenin, Christianity Today.

A group of motion-picture engineers classified the following as the ten most dramatic sounds in the movies: a baby's first cry; the blast of a siren; the thunder of breakers on rocks; the roar of a forest fire; a foghorn; the slow drip of water; the galloping of horses; the sound of a distant train whistle; the howl of a dog; the wedding march. And one of these sounds causes more emotional response and upheaval than any other, has the power to bring forth almost every human emotion: sadness, envy, regret, sorrow, tears, as well as supreme joy. It is the wedding march.  

James S. Flora in Pulpit Digest.

Oliver Cromwell, who took the British throne away from Charles I and established the Commonwealth, said to a friend, "Do not trust to the cheering, for those persons would shout as much if you and I were going to be hanged."

Warren Wiersbe in Be Satisfied.

Persons who have uneven temperaments appear to have a much greater chance of developing serious illness and of dying young than do those with other temperaments. 

Drs. Barbara J. Betz and Caroline B. Thomas report in the Johns Hopkins Medical Journal.

In 1948, Betz and Thomas classified 45 Johns Hopkins medical students in three personality groups on the basis of psychological tests and questionnaires. The students were listed either as "alphas," described as cautious, reserved, quiet and undemanding; "betas," spontaneous, active and outgoing; or "gammas," moody, emotional and either over- or under-demanding. Thirty years later, Betz and Thomas looked at the health records of the former students. They found that 77.3 percent of the gamma group suffered from major disorders, including cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease and emotional disturbances. The incidence of disorders was only 25 percent in the alpha group and 26.7 percent in the betas. The doctors repeated the study on another group of 127 male students from the classes of 1949 through 1964 with similar results. "Too often, gamma people get lost in their own emotions," says Betz. "While a person's temperament cannot be changed, more support from outside sources--such as more human contacts--might help lessen a gamma's risk of disease." 

Quoted in Reader's Digest, November, 1979.