I'm learning to apply this principle to other areas of my life.
Take cleaning, for instance. I never really feel like cleaning the bathroom (who does?!) But if I don't act against my feelings and simply clean it, mold and cockroaches take over.
That's an obvious example. But sometimes my wrong feelings are much more subtle, especially when it comes to relationships.
For example, let's say that I secretly want Kalan to plan something special for our date night, but I don't tell him (of course this is only a hypothetical illustration...haha). Friday night rolls around, and he innocently asks, "So, what do you want to do tonight?"
I feel disappointed. I might even feel unloved. "If he really loved me, he would know what I want...if he really loved me, he would have done something special..."
But are my feelings accurate? NO. The truth is, Kalan does love me and constantly shows me his love by sacrificially serving me. He makes me dinner every night, calls me each day on his lunch break just to see how I'm doing, often surprises me with my favorite tea or flowers, etc. When I take a step back from my feelings and think about the facts, it's easy to see that my feelings do not reflect reality.
Our feelings play a role in our relationship with God as well. Sometimes I think Satan uses our feelings against us. We may feel lonely. We may feel like no one understands. We may feel that God doesn't care about us. We may even doubt that God loves us. When we are hit with these feelings, what is the appropriate response?
I've started to think of my feelings as part of a train.
First is the engine. The engine is Truth. We know truth from the Bible, God's word.
Second is the coal car. The coal car is Faith. Faith is believing God's word even when we don't feel it.
Third is the caboose. The caboose is our feelings. Our feelings must follow Truth by Faith. If we start letting our feelings determine our decisions and actions, our "train" starts running backwards down the tracks...and the result is chaos, disaster, anxiety, and discontentment.
Whenever I feel anxious, depressed, lonely, insecure, inferior, or unloved...I remember my train. Usually it's running backwards and I have to step on the brakes, take deep breath, and remind myself of the Truth I know. Then, by Faith, I choose to follow what I know to be true instead of what I feel.
Such great reflection, Kayt. I pray that all the girls I know can read this!! :)
ReplyDeleteHello Kate!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Anders.
I met you at 7 eleven some weeks ago. I would like to comment on what you write.
I agree with you that the engine of our lives should be the truth.
The truth is found in the Hebrew Bible (which you Christians call the “OT”).
I would like to share this about the “NT” (whic you call “New Testament”):
The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible,
"It is equally true that many of them do have theological significance and were introduced into the text intentionally… Many thousands of the variants which are found in the MSS [manussscripts] of the NT were put there deliberately. They are not merely the result of error or careless handling of the text. Many were created for theological or dogmatic reasons—even though they may not affect the substance of Christian dogma.[Thanks for reminding us that Christians made Christian redactions compatible with Christian dogma; ybd]). It is because the books of the NT are religious books, sacred books, canonical books, that they were changed to conform to what the copyist believed to be the true reading. His interest was not in the 'original reading' but in the 'true reading'" [www.netzarim.co.il ; Glossaries; NT]
Christians made Christian redactions to the historical Hebrew teachings by the Jewish Messiah called Y’hoshua making the text contradicting the Torah [books of Moses] - the Instruction Manual of the Creator. Rabbi Y’hoshua’s - the Jewish Messiah’s - teachings were perfectly aligned with the Torah. [Documentation on the above website and on www.followyeshua.com]
I hope you find this helpful.
Anders Branderud