July 27
Emotional Intelligence
Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” ––Luke 19:8-10
We’re all familiar with IQ (Intelligence Quotient), and over the last couple of decades a new phrase has popped up: EQ, also known as Emotional Intelligence (EI). Punch the phrase into ChatGPT and you get this:
“Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and influence emotions—both your own and those of others.”
I think the key word there is “recognize,” because if we are not aware of our emotions and what drives us to think and do the things we do, life can get unmanageable. But also, it’s hard for us to see other people and be present with them if our emotional tanks are depleted. It’s a vicious cycle: things get tangled in our hearts and brains when our emotions are out of balance, which then steals our margins (our capacity to “be there” for others).
Jesus had the highest EI of any man to ever walk the planet. Not only was He in touch with His own emotions, He had the supernatural ability to look into the hearts and minds of those with whom He interacted. A great example is the tax collector Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to get a glimpse of the Messiah as He entered Jericho. Short of stature and rejected by his fellow Jews for selling out to the Romans, Jesus saw Zacchaeus—really saw him—and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5).
First off, how did Jesus know this “sinner’s” name? Second, Jesus chooses one of the sketchiest characters in the crowd and gives him the honor of hosting Him in his home. What happens when we truly see other people? When we allow the Holy Spirit to boost our EI supernaturally (which is exactly what happens when we surrender each day to His leading)? In Zacchaeus’s case, it was a complete turnaround. Jesus’ ability to see Zacchaeus’s felt need (to be accepted) led to Jesus filling Zacchaeus’s real need: To repent and be reconciled to God.
Man of God, you don’t need to be a touchy-feely dude to recognize other peoples’ emotional and spiritual states. All it takes is a willingness to invite the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to do it for you. When we step out in obedience to be His hands and feet to a hurting world, something surprising happens. He shows us how to meet felt needs so He might meet the real need: A life lived for and fully seen by the Father.
Lord, move in me and make the room in my heart, soul, and mind to see other people as You see them, and to be a vessel for Your presence.