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In Weeping and Rejoicing: Emotions in Theology and Life
In Weeping and Rejoicing breaks down a biblical understanding of emotions and offers readers a practical way forward in their emotional struggles.
In Weeping and Rejoicing by Paige Stitt McBride is a book written to equip and encourage those of us who struggle to shape our emotional lives according to the Gospel. Through eight chapters, you will be guided into a thoroughly biblical understanding of emotions and then consider how a variety of specific emotions—joy, sadness, fear, peace, shame, anger, and love—can be clearly defined, dangerously distorted, and slowly developed in our everyday lives and struggles. If you have ever struggled to understand how the gospel relates to your mental health and emotions, this book is for you.
In Weeping and Rejoicing by Paige Stitt McBride is a book written to equip and encourage those of us who struggle to shape our emotional lives according to the Gospel. Through eight chapters, you will be guided into a thoroughly biblical understanding of emotions and then consider how a variety of specific emotions—joy, sadness, fear, peace, shame, anger, and love—can be clearly defined, dangerously distorted, and slowly developed in our everyday lives and struggles. If you have ever struggled to understand how the gospel relates to your mental health and emotions, this book is for you.
186 pages, Hardcover
Published July 1, 2024
14 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 17, 2025
‘When natural evils come upon us an our loved ones, we need not be prepared to stay calm, cool, and collected and offer a perfect explanation of how God could allow this to happen. Maybe the first place to start is with a few tears. Or maybe just silence. There is something sacred in sadness.’
January 21, 2025
I had not even finished this book before recommending it to a majority of Christians that I know. This incredibly well written book explores emotions from a theological standpoint. As someone who tends to be highly emotional, this helped me to sort through so much overthinking that I had in my brain when it comes to the question: What does the Bible really say about emotions? She tackles this question through a very straightforward and Bible based approach, always citing the verses that she is using to back up what she is saying. She then breaks down and approaches six of the main emotions that we see in Scripture. I found this format incredibly easy to read as well as making it easy to reference specific sections as needed in the future. The way she explains her points was very simple and well balanced. In a world of extreme emotions, this book explains the Biblically based middle ground. I would highly recommend this book to any Christian, especially those that struggle with strong emotions, concerning lack of emotions, mental health struggles, or just simply questions about Biblical emotions and how they differ from what today's culture tells us.
My only note is that there were certain chapters, such as the one on love, that I wish would have gone into further depth. The fear chapter, though, entirely changed the way I view it, especially as someone who struggles with it a lot.
My only note is that there were certain chapters, such as the one on love, that I wish would have gone into further depth. The fear chapter, though, entirely changed the way I view it, especially as someone who struggles with it a lot.
August 7, 2025
What an unexpectedly profound book! This honestly had no right being as smart as it was - it looks beautiful enough to be a coffee table book. But I’m a sucker for beautiful things and have been meditating lately on the intersection of art and faith, so having a book be both lovely and so full of truth was a treat.
That being said, I think that the writing style would be challenging to your average “topical devotional book” reader. I led a small group study using this book over the summer and everyone initially found the writing intimidating. I read a range of theological commentary, so while I wouldn’t say the writing style was a challenge for me, it definitely leaned toward what I would consider an academic writing style. The book defined terminology, explored opposing arguments, and broke down ideas in a structured way that I found unexpectedly enjoyable but I can (and did) see making readers feel uncomfortable. However, I think that the mental legwork was worth it (and that those who had felt challenged ultimately felt the same)! One thing in particular that I really enjoyed was how Paige defined each emotion as a “vision” of something.
The chapters were honest and convicting in ways that I didn’t expect. They encourage healthy emotional reflection that was grounded in scripture. I can imagine almost anyone benefiting from reading this.
That being said, I think that the writing style would be challenging to your average “topical devotional book” reader. I led a small group study using this book over the summer and everyone initially found the writing intimidating. I read a range of theological commentary, so while I wouldn’t say the writing style was a challenge for me, it definitely leaned toward what I would consider an academic writing style. The book defined terminology, explored opposing arguments, and broke down ideas in a structured way that I found unexpectedly enjoyable but I can (and did) see making readers feel uncomfortable. However, I think that the mental legwork was worth it (and that those who had felt challenged ultimately felt the same)! One thing in particular that I really enjoyed was how Paige defined each emotion as a “vision” of something.
The chapters were honest and convicting in ways that I didn’t expect. They encourage healthy emotional reflection that was grounded in scripture. I can imagine almost anyone benefiting from reading this.
August 31, 2025
Truly an excellent book about understanding emotions through a biblical lens. Very well written and ordered. The book goes on to define each emotion, give distortions to each emotion, and how to develop each emotion in line with a more biblical way.
This book does do well with talking about how this is not a substitute for therapy or a doctor if you need one.
Though, I will say this book is very academic and not suited for a new Christian or one getting back into their faith. Not saying one couldn’t read it if they had those qualities, but it will be a bit more of a slow read.
Some Quotes from each chapter that I love:
Chapter 1 (Are my emotions valid):
- “To be a whole person is not just to understand or identify that which is right and good, it is to love that which is right and good”
Chapter 2 (Joy)
- “An improper experience of joy means that the subject is taking pleasure in something that is not in fact good”
- “The more we begin to love the things that God loves and see the world as God sees it, the more holiness will be intimately and inevitably tied to happiness”
Chapter 3 (Sadness)
- “While living in the ‘already but not yet,’ the Christian continues to feel the weight of a broken, often miserable world, while also enjoying the goodness and greatness of God in the midst of that world”
- “In fact, rejoicing in the Lord entails mourn in over that which is contrary to the Lord. If God is good and true, then to enjoy God is also to grieve what is evil and false”
Chapter 4 (Fear)
- “Fear exposes three important things about our hearts: what we love, how much we love it, and what we believe has the power to affect it”
- “Because to truly know God is to perceive his power and to respect his authority to wield that power over us. It is to perceive that his holiness is a threat to our sinfulness”
Chapter 5 (Peace)
- “The peace of God is not dependent on the reality of worldly peace, but on the reality of spiritual peace. Because we objectively have peace with God, we can subjectively enjoy that peace even when our earthly circumstances are anything but peaceful”
Chapter 6 (Shame)
- “Shame is meant to make us uncomfortable in sin. In fact, it is meant to make us feel so uncomfortable that we go running to God for help”
Chapter 7 (Anger)
- “If we want to extinguish the vice of anger, we need to evaluate whether we are truly in a position to judge and punish”
Chapter 8 (Love)
- “it seems that love can fall under the category of emotion but can also fall under the category of a general concern or disposition of the will”
- “To delight in someone’s sin actually is to stop loving that person at all”
This book does do well with talking about how this is not a substitute for therapy or a doctor if you need one.
Though, I will say this book is very academic and not suited for a new Christian or one getting back into their faith. Not saying one couldn’t read it if they had those qualities, but it will be a bit more of a slow read.
Some Quotes from each chapter that I love:
Chapter 1 (Are my emotions valid):
- “To be a whole person is not just to understand or identify that which is right and good, it is to love that which is right and good”
Chapter 2 (Joy)
- “An improper experience of joy means that the subject is taking pleasure in something that is not in fact good”
- “The more we begin to love the things that God loves and see the world as God sees it, the more holiness will be intimately and inevitably tied to happiness”
Chapter 3 (Sadness)
- “While living in the ‘already but not yet,’ the Christian continues to feel the weight of a broken, often miserable world, while also enjoying the goodness and greatness of God in the midst of that world”
- “In fact, rejoicing in the Lord entails mourn in over that which is contrary to the Lord. If God is good and true, then to enjoy God is also to grieve what is evil and false”
Chapter 4 (Fear)
- “Fear exposes three important things about our hearts: what we love, how much we love it, and what we believe has the power to affect it”
- “Because to truly know God is to perceive his power and to respect his authority to wield that power over us. It is to perceive that his holiness is a threat to our sinfulness”
Chapter 5 (Peace)
- “The peace of God is not dependent on the reality of worldly peace, but on the reality of spiritual peace. Because we objectively have peace with God, we can subjectively enjoy that peace even when our earthly circumstances are anything but peaceful”
Chapter 6 (Shame)
- “Shame is meant to make us uncomfortable in sin. In fact, it is meant to make us feel so uncomfortable that we go running to God for help”
Chapter 7 (Anger)
- “If we want to extinguish the vice of anger, we need to evaluate whether we are truly in a position to judge and punish”
Chapter 8 (Love)
- “it seems that love can fall under the category of emotion but can also fall under the category of a general concern or disposition of the will”
- “To delight in someone’s sin actually is to stop loving that person at all”
October 1, 2025
3.75 ✨
This book was definitely more of a 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑦 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 than a devotional. I actually would’ve loved it back in my counseling grad school days, it digs deep into the purpose of human emotion in a way that feels very academic and insightful. 🫶🏼
That said, I went into it hoping for something a little more 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 + 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, something that gave me takeaways to pray through or practical encouragements to sit with. Instead, it leaned heavier on analysis than daily application. ✨
Who I think would enjoy this: readers who want to understand God’s design for emotions on a deeper level, or anyone looking for a thoughtful study tool. It’s definitely rich in theology and will get you thinking. 🥹
For me personally, it just wasn’t quite what I needed right now, but still a beautiful + meaningful resource for the right reader. 💗
This book was definitely more of a 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑦 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 than a devotional. I actually would’ve loved it back in my counseling grad school days, it digs deep into the purpose of human emotion in a way that feels very academic and insightful. 🫶🏼
That said, I went into it hoping for something a little more 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 + 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, something that gave me takeaways to pray through or practical encouragements to sit with. Instead, it leaned heavier on analysis than daily application. ✨
Who I think would enjoy this: readers who want to understand God’s design for emotions on a deeper level, or anyone looking for a thoughtful study tool. It’s definitely rich in theology and will get you thinking. 🥹
For me personally, it just wasn’t quite what I needed right now, but still a beautiful + meaningful resource for the right reader. 💗
January 1, 2025
Really well written and I liked how it was broken up by the ways we process emotions and the biblical examples were seamlessly intermingled with her personal experiences and interpretation. I had a bit more takeaways from Beauty Not Beheld that I still think on often, whereas with this one I feel like I only walked away with a few little nuggets (which is fine!). I found myself dozing off time to time, but could’ve just been me. I would recommend it if you have a hard time sorting through emotions and how to deal with them in a Christ-like way. This books was full of valuable wisdom.
April 9, 2025
Rounded up because I think my expectations were not very good, and maybe I would have appreciated it more if I knew what I was getting into. Read like a textbook and was hard to get excited about reading, which was disappointing because I love learning about emotions. The author did present some good arguments and talking points, and I did find parts of the book interesting. Just meh for me.
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November 23, 2025This book took me all year to finish, both because I had a baby and because it's pretty dense/heady. I definitely enjoyed parts of it, but did not find it as practical as I hoped. Really well-written exposition on emotions, though!
February 25, 2025
A beautiful book that has so much insight into the biblical interpretation of our human emotions.
June 16, 2025
4.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews