Welcome back on this new week on this Monday. Well, how do we overcome a lack of affection,

a lack of expressed affection for God and expressed affection for others.

It's a great question, a humble question from a young man who wrote in anonymously.

Dear Pastor John, let me jump straight to it.

How would you counsel and encourage a brother in Christ who finds it difficult to express or discuss

deeper emotions like joy, despair, wonder, and fear. That's me. I want deeper relationships with

Christian brothers, but I also shy away when opportunity arises and deeper conversations make themselves present because

I don't know how to talk about those higher and deeper feelings.

I just freeze.

Or I'm tempted to make a joke. I know something is wrong inside of me. I read

Augustine's confessions and stand in all of his affection as he speaks so fluently to God in language like this quote my God my life my

holy sweetness or what can anyone say when he speaks of the yet woe to those who do not speak of thee, for though they

talk much, they say nothing.

I'm a man who talks much about nothing and I want to grow here.

I really have a special interest in this question and I want to try to answer it because I think there are millions of people.

It's not rare. Millions of people who share this blockage that prevents natural, genuine, verbal expressions of

heartfelt affections.

Not only for God and His glorious salvation, but for children, their own children, or

spouses or ordinary blessings of life. The whole realm of the emotional life and of spiritual affections is choked off for some reason.

There are millions of people who never say anything like

What a beautiful day the sun is shining the breeze is cool a love days like this they never talked like that ever They never say anything like I love being married to you. Just sitting with you makes me happy. I'm so glad God brought us together. They never say that to each other. Ever. They never say anything like God is so great. He has been so good to me. I don't deserve any of this. Lord, you are amazing. Thank you, Lord, I love you.

They don't ever talk like that.

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