Pools of Blessing
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Speaking Topics

Psalm 84:5-6

Happy are those who are strong in the Lord, who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains.

Pools of Blessing
Picture

Feelings, nothing more than feelings

1/6/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Classes start up for me in just a matter of days and I will not have much time for writing once they do. So, I thought I would take some time today to write something just for fun. It is about feelings and how they mislead me in my thoughts, words and actions at times and my perceptions about myself and the world around me.

I call them feelings nothing more than feelings. Do you remember that song by Morris Albert? It’s kind of a cheesy song but it adequately describes how I can let my feelings, which, after all, are just feelings dictate how I’m, well, feeling about myself and the world around me.

Let me give you an example. Today I was on a walk stewing and wallowing in guilt about how much screen time my kids have had lately and feeling like I was a bad parent for not controlling it more. Usually, on my walk, I like to spend some time in prayer so as I walked, I found myself uttering something like this, “Lord I feel like such a bad parent these days. I feel like I’m always making poor choices and parenting out of those poor choices. I feel like I’m failing miserably at this parenting thing.”

And suddenly it dawned on me. In my prayer, I had used the word, feeling three times in a row. And it made me wonder something. Am I letting my feelings dictate how I perceive myself and the world around me?

The problem with feelings? They’re not facts. They’re not based in truth. They’re based in emotions. And just because I feel like something isn’t going well, or I’m not being a very good parent, or I’ve been lazy lately doesn’t, in fact, mean that these things are true.

I once heard it put this way: If we let feelings or emotions lead the way in our spiritual life, we’re letting the caboose lead the train. What we should be led by is facts, facts based in truth and based in faith.

Just because you feel like a bad parent doesn’t mean that you are. Just because you feel like you’re lazy, doesn’t mean you are. I’m not saying feelings aren’t valid, but they shouldn’t’ be the leader in your life. They shouldn’t’ dictate what you think about yourself, other people, and the world around you. Truth should do that.

Today, because I was feeling like a bad parent, it turned me into a grouch and I treated my children in a grouchy way. I wasn’t parenting out of faith and truth. I was parenting based on my feelings and my fears. And I don’t’ think anything is done well or properly when it’s based in feelings or fears.

While I couldn’t find any good verses about emotions or feelings, I did find one about fear. Which, after all, is another feeling, another emotion and not a particularly good one.

Isaiah 8:13 -14

Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. He will keep you safe. (NLT)

Did you catch that? If we fear God, we need fear nothing else, not even our feelings. So, don’t let your feelings be the engine that drives your train. Put feelings in their proper place and let faith and truth be your guide. In that Spirit, I will sign off. ‘Til next time.  
0 Comments

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety
    Bipolar
    Bipolar Disorder
    Christianity And Mental Illness
    CO
    Colorado
    Depression
    Discrimination
    Education
    Fort Collins
    Life Decisions
    Luke 8:31-32
    Making Changes
    Marriage
    Me Before You
    Mental Health
    Mental Illness Recovery
    Parenting
    Psalm 84:5 6
    Psalm 84:5-6
    Psalm 90:12
    Sky Mountain Ranch
    Slavery
    Stress
    Suicide
    Summer Vacation
    Symptoms Of Bipolar
    This Is Us The TV Drama On NBC

Photo used under Creative Commons from Eric@focus
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Speaking Topics