The phrase "Do not be afraid!" is found numerous times in the Bible. Do you read it as a command or a word of comfort?
Sadness makes our hearts more compassionate. It's OK to be sad.
In the Bible, people of great faith, who were close to God, experienced what it means to be down. It's OK to be down.
How do people who are not hardwired for gratitude become grateful people?
There is a relational and ethical dimension to repentance that we are inclined to privatize as being solely between God and ourselves.