Emotional Intelligence Honor

Missionary & Community Activities

Requirements

1. Define emotional intelligence.

   Answer: It is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions and those of others. — Emotional intelligence, a concept popularized by Daniel Goleman, encompasses five main pillars: self-awareness (perceiving one's own emotions), self-regulation (controlling impulsive reactions), self-motivation (pursuing goals despite frustrations), empathy (understanding others' feelings), and social skills (managing relationships). It is a fundamental competence for the Christian life, related to the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

2. Name the various types of human feelings and emotions. Make a list and write an example of when you experienced them in your life.

   Answer: Joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, and love are considered basic emotions. — Researchers such as Paul Ekman have identified a small set of basic emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust) that are expressed in a similar way across all cultures. From these, more complex emotions are derived, such as gratitude, shame, guilt, and empathy. Recognizing these feelings in oneself is the first step of emotional self-awareness.

3. Look for examples of characters in the Bible who felt:
   • Anger;
   • Sadness;
   • Joy;
   • Disappointment;
   • Repentance;
   • Gratitude;
   • Empathy.

   Answer: Moses felt anger when he saw the people worshiping the golden calf and broke the tablets of the law. — In Exodus 32, when Moses came down from Sinai with the tablets of the law and saw the people of Israel worshiping a golden calf, his anger was kindled and he broke the tablets. This episode shows how even a spiritual leader experiences intense emotions. Other examples: Hannah felt deep sorrow (1 Sam. 1), David expressed joy by dancing before the ark (2 Sam. 6), Elijah felt fear when fleeing from Jezebel (1 Kings 19), Peter experienced repentance (Luke 22:62), and the Samaritan showed empathy (Luke 10:33).

4. Read Galatians 5:22 and 23, and write a list of the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. Explain in your own words why it is important to develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

   Answer: Attributes of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): love, joy, peace, patience (longsuffering), kindness (gentleness of manner), goodness, faithfulness (faith), meekness, and self-control (temperance). Why it is important to develop it: the fruit of the Spirit is the character of Christ reflected in us, produced by the action of the Holy Spirit and not by our own effort. Developing it helps us to control our emotions and react well in difficulties (patience, meekness, self-control), to relate better to people (love, goodness, kindness), to maintain inner balance (joy and peace even in trials), and to be faithful to God. It is the practical evidence of a transformed life and the basis of a Christian emotional intelligence: the more we cultivate this fruit, the more mature, stable, and like Jesus we become. — In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists nine attributes as a single manifestation of the (singular) fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. They represent the character of Christ formed in the believer and are essential for the development of Christian emotional intelligence, helping the Pathfinder to regulate reactions, cultivate empathy, and build healthy relationships.

5. Take part in a group discussion about self-esteem.

   Answer: It is the perception of one's own worth, based on who we are before God, not on performance or appearance. — Healthy self-esteem is the positive and realistic assessment a person makes of himself, recognizing that his worth does not come from grades, appearance, talents, or others' opinions, but from the fact of having been created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and loved unconditionally by Him (Ps. 139:13-14). For the Christian, genuine self-esteem is born from identity in Christ and produces courage, empathy, and a willingness to serve.

6. Read Isaiah 43:1-5 and answer:
   • To whom do we belong?
   • What promises does Jesus give us in these verses?

   Answer: 1) To whom do we belong? We belong to God. He created us, redeemed (rescued) us, and called us by name, saying "you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1). We are the property of the Lord, precious and loved in His eyes. 2) What promises does Jesus give us in these verses? God promises to be with us in every difficulty: when we pass through the waters and the rivers, He will be with us and they will not overwhelm us; when we walk through the fire, we will not be burned, nor will the flame scorch us (v.2). He declares Himself our God and Savior, affirms that He loves us and that we are precious before Him, and says "do not fear, for I am with you" (vv.3-5). — In Isaiah 43:1-5, God declares: 'I have called you by your name, you are mine' (v.1) and promises: 'when you pass through the waters... the rivers... the fire, I will be with you' (v.2). The passage establishes the believer's emotional identity: we are God's beloved possession and we never face crises alone. This produces inner security, the basis for emotional intelligence.

7. What should we do when we experience feelings such as:
   • Wrath: Read Proverbs 15:1, James 1:19 and 20, Ephesians 4:26
   • Fear: Psalm 34:17-18
   • Anxiety: 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-8

   Answer: 1) Anger: according to Proverbs 15:1, James 1:19-20, and Ephesians 4:26, when we feel anger we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. In practice: pause before reacting, answer with gentleness (a soft answer turns away wrath), and not let the sun go down on our anger — resolve the conflict the same day, without giving place to sin or acting on impulse. 2) Fear: according to Psalm 34:17-18, when we are afraid we should cry out to God, for the Lord hears the righteous and delivers them from their troubles; He is near to those who have a broken heart and saves those who are crushed in spirit. In practice: bring the fear to God in prayer, trust that He is present and near, and seek support from those who can help us instead of facing everything alone. 3) Anxiety: according to 1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:6-8, we should cast all our anxiety on God, because He cares for us, and instead of being anxious about anything, present our requests to Him with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving — then the peace of God will guard our heart. In practice: pray and give thanks, and occupy the mind with everything that is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. — James 1:19-20 teaches: 'let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.' Proverbs 15:1 adds: 'a soft answer turns away wrath.' Ephesians 4:26 adds: 'be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath.' For fear, Psalm 34:17-18 guarantees God's presence; for anxiety, 1 Pet. 5:7 and Phil. 4:6-8 teach us to hand everything over to God in prayer.

8. Read Romans 12:15 and explain it in your own words
   • How does this verse apply to the "golden rule"?
   • Why is it related to empathy?

   Answer: 1) Romans 12:15 commands us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. This applies the 'golden rule' (treating others as we would like to be treated) because we all want someone to celebrate with us in our joys and comfort us in our sorrows; by offering our neighbor that same care, we are living out what we wish to receive. 2) The verse is related to empathy because empathy is the ability to feel together with another, entering into their joy or pain as if it were our own. Rejoicing and weeping with someone requires going out of oneself, perceiving what the other person is feeling, and sharing that emotion, which is exactly what empathy means. — Romans 12:15 instructs: 'Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.' The golden rule (Matt. 7:12: 'do to others what you would have them do to you') is exactly this: treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated. Empathy is entering into another's feeling, sharing joy without envy and pain without withdrawal. This is the emotional heart of the gospel, which unites healthy self-esteem with care for one's neighbor.

9. Read Matthew 22:36-40 and talk with your instructor or counselor about the importance of self-love so that you can later love others.

   Answer: Jesus commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves; caring for oneself is the basis for caring for others. — In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus sums up the law in two commandments: to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. This 'as yourself' presupposes a healthy self-love: whoever sees himself as a creature loved by God has the emotional and spiritual capacity to love others to the same measure. Without self-esteem grounded in Christ, there is no fuel for genuine love of one's neighbor.

10. Make a list of challenges you need to work on in order to better manage your emotions.

    Answer: Reacting impulsively without reflecting; the challenge is to pause, breathe, and respond calmly. — Among the most frequent challenges are: reacting before thinking, holding a grudge, not naming the feeling, giving in to anxiety, comparing oneself, isolating oneself in sadness, and taking anger out on others. Practical strategies include: a breathing pause, prayer, keeping an emotional journal, talking with a Christian mentor, meditating on biblical texts such as Philippians 4:6-8, and exercising self-control (the fruit of the Spirit).

11. Make a video and share it on your social media, talking about how to handle emotions, based on chapter 84 of the book "Mind, Character, and Personality (Vol. 2)."

    Answer: Submitting the emotions to the control of reason illuminated by the Holy Spirit, cultivating self-control. — In chapter 84 ('The Control of the Feelings'), Ellen White teaches that feelings are deceptive guides when left unchecked; they need to be submitted to sanctified reason and to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit enables the believer to exercise self-control (Galatians 5:23), allowing thoughts, words, and actions to reflect the character of Christ. Handling the emotions does not mean repressing them, but directing them through a will surrendered to God.