By Diana Kim

For so long, I prioritized logic and reason over emotion. I thought that this was the wise thing to do. While the voice of logic and reason grew louder, the voice of emotion grew softer, ultimately being muted. I foolishly assessed emotion’s silence as emotion agreeing with logic: beecause emotion and logic didn’t clash, I thought I had inner peace.

Then, a rude awakening.

The voice of emotion can be silent no longer. Emotion cries out so vigorously that logic is frozen in place.

There is no inner peace.

Emotion has been awoken. Emotion will not go back to being silent, to being submissive. Emotion will no longer hide behind a veil to give the illusion of peace.

Quiet gives the illusion of peace. But genuine peace cannot exist when one voice is marginalized and ignored. Peace requires space for both logic and emotion to exist, to express, to be recognized, acknowledged, and heard.

I can no longer pretend that inner peace is found in silence, especially if that silence is forced and certain voices have been muted. It is in silence when this lack of peace reveals itself. True peace takes work and maybe even struggle.

I will not know inner peace until I allow the voice of emotion to be heard. This means my logic will have to make space for it, even if it cannot explain its reasoning.

Will you allow the voice of emotion to be heard, o voice of reason? Will you give it space to express itself and be recognized as valid? For there can be no true peace until you are in genuine conversation and communal existence with the voice of emotion.

Diana Kim is a PhD student at Fuller Theological Seminary and is majoring in Christian Ethics. Her current research area of interest is Asian American feminist ethics. She is committed to teaching and equipping the next generation to be passionate for Jesus and to live out His passion and care for the world.